A New Cullen Sister
by CriminalBones92
Summary: *Book 1* It has been a few months since the last encounter between the Cullens and the Volturi. Carlisle and Esme travel to New York for a medical conference. Alice has predicted that they will return to Forks with a new member to their family, a chronically ill human at that. With the Volturi battle still fresh in their minds, how will everyone cope with the new addition?
1. Chapter 1

It had been several months since the Cullen family last battled the Volturi. Renesmee was finally safe and life was peaceful once again. The tension that lay between the Quileute tribe and the Cullens was slowly ebbing away, as either side slowly began to trust one another.

Carlisle and Esme lay in each other's arms. The sheets were entangled around their limbs, their clothes tossed carelessly across the floor. Carlisle was absentmindedly tracing circles on his wife's arm as she lay with her head on his chest. Moments like these were special to them, alone time. They had started packing their suitcases for Carlisle's medical conference in New York. Alice had been helping them, until she had decided to give them some peace and quiet. They could hear the others moving around in the house now. Emmett and Jasper were playing a video game, Alice was humming to herself in her room as she stared at her vast wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear and Rosalie was reading something, no doubt a fashion magazine of some sort. Jacob was in the kitchen making himself some breakfast. Leah and Seth were walking up the steps of the veranda, greeting everyone as they walked into the house.

Carlisle kissed the top of her head. Esme moved her head and met his lips, sharing a passionate kiss. It held the promise of more to come. Carlisle smiled down at Esme and captured her lips with his, pulling her up in his arms until they were on eye level. Esme found herself lost in his eyes once again. Their hands interlocked and Carlisle pulled Esme on top of him, showering her with even more kisses. They smiled shyly at each other.

"Nessie will be here in five minutes, lovebirds!" hollered Alice from her bedroom. Carlisle and Esme groaned simultaneously. A chorus of laughter was heard in response.

"You just had to wreck the moment, didn't you Alice?" called Carlisle, while Esme laughed, shoulders shaking in mirth.

"You won't be seeing your granddaughter for almost three weeks, Carlisle."

"The conference is only a week, Alice," retorted Esme, joining in on the conversation.

"I have foreseen that you will stay longer than that, Esme, which is why both of your tickets are open-ended. Now stop arguing, get dressed and spend time with Nessie."

"What could possibly arise that we spend so long away from home?"

"That is for me to know, and for you to find out. Get cracking, she'll be here in three minutes."

* * *

"Bye Grandpa, bye Grandma! I'll miss you! Love you lots," cried Renesmee, giving her grandparents a hug each. Esme and Renesmee were especially close, and when they separated, Esme's eyes were shining with unshed tears. Renesmee clearly thought that the world was ending. This would be the first time she spent longer than a night away from her grandparents, and she was not too thrilled at the prospect. However she knew that her grandparents were looking forward to this trip, as was everyone else in the family, but for different reasons.

After Carlisle and Esme announced their plans to travel to New York for a medical conference, Alice had been pulled into a vision. When she came out of it, both her and Edward looked excited about something. After she had been put to bed and Carlisle and Esme sent off on a hunt, Alice told everyone else what she has seen. Their reaction was no different, although Jasper expressed some doubt but was quickly reassured by his siblings. The next day, Jake had filled Nessie in on the basics, and was instructed not to tell, or show, their secret to either of her grandparents.

"Now you be good Nessie, ok? I'll bring you something from New York."

"Ok Grandma!" Nessie ran back to where the rest of her family was standing. Her mom, Bella, smiled down at her and hugged her. Her uncle Emmett scooped her up in his arms and held her tight while Edward had one last word with them before they left.

"Please, Edward, I really do like the Forks house. I beg of you, please make sure that it is still standing when we return," pleaded Esme. Carlisle and Edward laughed quietly at that. The rest of the family giggled too.

"I promise, Mom, though Alice has plans for the spare bedroom next to your room."

"Yes I know. She is turning it into a room for Nessie when she stays over. We discussed plans already. Lots of shelf space for books was a must, a desk and a daybed. She insisted on having additional power outlets in the room though, Jasper is going to help her wire them. However, I don't find the theme to be very fitting to Nessie at present – is there something you are not telling us?"

"No Esme, Alice just sees Nessie's interior décor taste changing as she grows older so we may as well be prepared," lied Edward smoothly, "Now off you go, you have a plane to catch. Relax for a few days."

With one last hug, he turned his back and walked to where the rest of the family were standing. As Carlisle and Esme went through the security check point, they turned and waved. Renesmee frantically waved as her grandparents walked away hand in hand. As soon as they were gone, Alice turned to her siblings and niece with a smile.

"Ok guys, let's get to work."

* * *

Carlisle and Esme boarded the plane to New York. It had been a while since they had last visited there. They smiled at each other lovingly after they had taken their seats. Their unnatural beauty and perfect features were not unnoticed by the flight attendants, and those around them. They were too wrapped up in their own world to notice the attention that they were attracting.

"It's been a while since we left the kids home alone," stated Carlisle teasingly. Esme scowled in response, obviously recalling the previous week's incident in which Emmett had challenged Jasper to an arm wrestling match in the middle of the living room and subsequently broken a priceless antique vase of hers. Needless to say, she was still smarting.

"I've left little Nessie in charge of reigning in her uncles. You know they think the world of her," she sighed in response, "although when Emmet and Jasper are on a roll, nothing can stop them."

"Alice and Rosalie will knock them in line," replied Carlisle, leaning across the seat and planting a kiss on Esme's forehead.

"I already miss them."

"Me too."

They fell into companionable silence, holding hands. Carlisle shut his eyes and pretended to sleep. Esme stared out the window. After a while, both got bored and sat doing a crossword together, sneaking small kisses here and there.

"Are we there yet?" asked Carlisle childishly.

Esme bit back a giggle. "You know fully well that we are stuck here for another two hours, _Doctor_ Carlisle Cullen."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted in response. Esme grabbed the emergency instruction pamphlet from its holder in the back of the seat in front of her, rolled it up and whacked him on the head. Carlisle clutched his head dramatically and groaned in mock agony. Esme rolled her eyes and shook her head in exasperation but was could not stop the smile that was forming on her lips.

This playful side of Carlisle came out so rarely. Now that Nessie was around, he was certainly less restrained and only too willing to indulge his only granddaughter, even if it meant having Nessie put make up on him. Thank goodness for Alice, at least she would teach her how to properly apply makeup one day. Rosalie had laughed so hard that had she been human, she would surely have cried. Emmett, the little devil, had taken a photograph and hidden it away as 'evidence' that the resident all-mighty king of seriousness did have a less serious side to him. He proceeded to hum "I'm a Barbie girl" every time he saw Carlisle for the next two weeks.

Carlisle grinned at his wife's response and kissed her yet again, a twinkle in his eye.

"I have an idea…" he began.

"Don't even think about it."

"But you don't even know what I was going to suggest."

"Alice."

"Your point?"

"It didn't end well. This airline is my preferred airline of domestic travel, so I would like to keep earning Voyager Miles and put those to good use."

"But this is all part of the human charade. You are always telling me we need to blend in more."

"Let's just say we prove just how unhuman we are."

"But Esme," he whined, dragging out the last syllable.

"Down boy."

"Fine," he huffed and crossed his arms, bottom lip jutting out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ok guys, have we got everything?" asked Alice once the group had reassembled inside the local hardware store. Emmett held up his paint tins in assent. They went home and Emmett and Edward proceeded to paint the spare bedroom. Alice had chosen a slightly off-white colour for the room. In her mind's eye, this colour would suit its future occupant very well, and it was a colour that was easy to match – white went with everything in her opinion.

Miraculously, Emmett had restrained himself from a paint war with Edward, although that might have had something to do with Alice threatening him with human food if he dared indulge in such foolish behaviour. Renesmee was rather sad that she could not help paint, but Alice had promised her that she could help her decorate and stock the wardrobe. Bella and Jacob had since taken her home and gotten her settled in, with the promise of a phone call with her grandmother in the morning. Alice walked back into the spare bedroom, supervising the boys' work.

"Do you think she will like it?" she questioned doubtfully.

"Alice, you're the psychic, not me," responded Emmett.

"You chose this colour because you foresaw her liking this one," said Rosalie, walking into the room with an open magazine in her hand, "so relax. You know she will love it. Now, what do you think of this duvet set? I was thinking perhaps we take a trip to Seattle and shop around a bit."

Alice took the magazine from her and looked at it thoughtfully. "It is nice enough, but I agree, let's rather shop in Seattle for the bed linen and other things. Shall we go tomorrow?"

"The furniture delivery guys are coming tomorrow afternoon, how about Tuesday?"

"Shoot! I'd forgotten about that. Yes, let's do Tuesday. It's going to be a miserable day weather-wise. Perfect."

* * *

Carlisle and Esme made their way to the car rental office once their plane landed. It was almost 10pm in New York. Esme sent a quick text to Edward to let them know that they had arrived safely and to send her love to Nessie. They proceeded to drive to one of their properties. It has been decades since they had last lived in their Rochester house, but they kept it well maintained. Esme had upgraded it in 2002 during one of her creative phases. She had been worrying about Edward at that point and Carlisle had encouraged her to do something to distract herself. The result was an extra storey to the house and more modern interior décor. The plumbing, heating and electrical outlets had all been upgraded as well. Esme loved the Rochester house and had many fond memories of it. It was rural enough that it afforded them much needed privacy and shielded them from the public, but close enough to civilisation that they were not totally isolated.

After depositing their suitcases in the main bedroom, they locked up and walked out into the cool of the night. Being cooped up in an aeroplane for several hours left a detectable burn in their throats, and seeing that part of tomorrow's programme would involve a hospital tour, Carlisle and Esme felt that it would be a good idea to hunt. They had hunted just before they left, but felt it necessary to take precautions just in case. Three hours later, they found themselves sated and walking along the streets of Rochester, hand in hand.

"What do you think the kids are up to?" asked Esme thoughtfully, "I don't buy the 'upgrading Nessie's room' story."

"They have their reasons I have no doubt," replied Carlisle, "Although I am curious as to what they have up their sleeve. Perhaps they want to make things more comfortable for Seth and Leah when they visit?"

"Even so, they know something that we don't."

"Well, we know something that they don't."

"And what might that be?"

"This." With that, Carlisle swept Esme off her feet and ran with to their house, kissing her enthusiastically. Both were giggling when they arrived at their front door.

"Bet Alice never saw that one coming."

"I take it that was a last minute decision, dear Carlisle?"

"You bet."

Carlisle carried his wife over the threshold in spite of her protesting and walked into the lounge.

"I was thinking tonight we stay indoors."

"I agree. Shall we watch a film?"

"Really Esme, that's your definition of staying indoors?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I think I do," responded Carlisle, leaning down to kiss his wife.

* * *

The next morning Carlisle and Esme watched the sunrise. Esme sighed appreciatively, little flecks of colour was brightening up the greyness of the sky until there was virtually no grey left. A mixture of pinks and orange illuminated her face, and Carlisle had not been able to stop staring at her. Esme smiled self-consciously, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. As the sun rose on the gloomy winter morning, they got ready to go to the hospital.

Central Rochester Hospital was playing host to the large conference on cardio-pulmonary diseases, which was fitting considering that it was the hospital renowned for its pulmonary and cardiac care. Specialists in those respective disciplines were converging on the hospital at 8am. Carlisle was not a specialist, but years of practicing medicine in small towns had encouraged him to expand his knowledge as far as possible. Being a small town doctor meant that they were ill-equipped to handle some of the chronic conditions that the occasional patient present with, and that meant referrals to the larger hospitals in Seattle.

Carlisle and Esme arrived at the hospital at 7.45am. Esme was accompanying Carlisle because she felt like a break, and Alice had seemed rather adamant that she go to Rochester. Perhaps she would stay at home the next day if she felt so inclined. Esme was not a jealous woman, nor was she the kind of doctor's wife that needed to be involved in every small event, but every once in a while it was nice to express an interest in Carlisle's work and often she would visit Carlisle during his lunch break, and lately had been bringing Nessie with her when she did.

"Hello Dr Cullen, Mrs Cullen," greeted a colleague of Carlisle's as he walked past them with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. They returned the greetings and went to sit down.

The morning flew by, with some interesting talks on furthering research in congenital cardiac conditions, such as atrio-ventricular septal defects and Tetralogy of Fallot and more advanced surgical techniques in their treatment. After lunch, they reconvened with some discussions in both hereditary and acquired pulmonary disorders, including Cystic Fibrosis and Pulmonary Hypertension. Carlisle was enthralled – he had lost many patients to Cystic Fibrosis when he treated them in the 1960s. Advances in medicine had significantly increased their lifespan, with the average patient living to around 35 years. The next day would be discussions on lung and heart transplants and new techniques being developed to aid lung transplant patients – regretfully 50% of lung transplants fail, and was the organ with the highest failure rate.

The day ended at 3.30pm with ward rounds for any of the doctors who were interested. They were split into groups, with Carlisle and Esme opting for the group that went to one of the pulmonary wards. They were able to visit a few patients before visiting hours began at 4pm.


	3. Chapter 3

The group leader, Dr Sanders, then led them to a room that they had previously thought was unoccupied. In there was a young girl, no older than 16, arguing quietly with her doctor. She was sitting up in bed. The group waited outside until she was done.

"I just want to go outside for a few minutes. Five minutes tops. I need some fresh air. I'm going crazy in here," she pleaded.

"Amelia, you are too sick to go outside. You will get worse. You're one cough away from landing up in ICU," replied her doctor gently.

"Dr Anderson, I have not left this ward in nearly four months. It's visiting hours now, no one will notice that I'm gone. I've had my physio for today. All I am asking is to go on the balcony for a little while. I'm not asking to go to the shop down the road, although I desperately need to get some things, I'm not even asking to sit in the hospital garden, I'm just asking for you to give me my balcony key so that I can open the door and breathe some fresh air, not stale hospital air."

"It is out of the question, Amelia. Your lungs are unhappy."

The young girl sighed deeply, coughed and hung her head sadly, furiously wiping her face when Dr Anderson's back was turned. Dr Sanders knocked and the group gathered in the room.

"Shall we come back when visiting hours are over?" queried Dr Sanders.

"That won't be necessary," said Dr Anderson, "She has no one visiting."

Carlisle heard Esme's sharp intake of breath. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. Esme glanced around the room. She had a small bookcase in her room, chock-full of books. A few textbooks lay on top of her bedside table, a glass of water next to that. There was a cupboard in her room as well that was slightly ajar and Esme spied a few clothes in there. A teddy bear lay at the foot of her bed, well-worn and obviously well-loved.

"This is Amelia Theodore, aged 15. She was flown in from Seattle four months ago. She presented with severe haemoptysis as a result of a Pseudomonas infection due to underlying Cystic Fibrosis. We embolised the bleeding and treated her with an aggressive IV antibiotic protocol of garamycin, vancomycin and flucoxacillin, as well as inhalational garamycin and pulmicort but we are still struggling with the bleeding problem. She has received three blood transfusions. She was in ICU for five weeks and has been in this ward ever since. Initial response to antibiotics was good, but the infection remains present. She has Diabetes, malabsorption of nutrients and is underweight. She is currently on receiving chest physiotherapy twice per day, receiving IV antibiotics and takes multiple medications, including insulin and digestive aids, and is receiving parenteral nutrition to supplement her diet. As you can see, she requires an oxygen line and her lung function is down to 32%. She has been placed on the list for a bilateral lung transplant and a heart transplant."

After discussing the patient a little more, the group left Amelia in peace. Esme took her in. She was surprisingly tall for her illness and painfully thin. Her dark hair was thin and needed a wash. She had eyes that were almost green in colour and was incredibly pale, paler than Esme was, almost grey in colour. She was beautiful, although unkempt. At 15, this stunning young girl was dying and she knew it – it lurked in the heaviness of her eyes, the dark circles under her eyes, the shallow breaths she took that were painful and tiring.

"What did you mean when you said that she had no one?" Carlisle asked of Dr Anderson.

"She is in the foster care system. I don't know the details but I understand that her parents are deceased."

Carlisle nodded and thanked the doctor.

"What did all of that medical talk mean?" asked Esme.

"Young Amelia has Cystic Fibrosis. She got a really bad lung infection which caused her to cough up blood. They managed to stop the bleeding but because they are struggling to get rid of the infection, the blood vessels in her lungs keep rupturing as the coughing is very bad. Dr Anderson listed the medication that they were giving her. The nature of CF is such that patients suffer from digestive problems and many develop Type 1 Diabetes. As she is so underweight and probably throws up a lot with all the coughing, they are tube feeding her to help her pick up weight. As soon as she reaches a goal weight, they will probably let her go home. It's usually 50 kilograms, or 110 pounds. She is not doing well at all. Without a lung transplant, she will die, but right now, she is too sick to have one. It won't be long before her kidneys and liver start shutting down."

Esme sighed sadly and glanced at Amelia's room. "I wish there was something that we could do to help her."

* * *

Amelia gathered her things and walked slowly to her bathroom. She ran a bath and soaked for a little while, trying to wrap her head around things. She was dying, she knew it. All she wanted was to go outside for a little while. But even so, she had a lot to be grateful for. The hospital had a library service so at least she got some new books to read every few days or so. Her school back in Seattle had online teaching so she could do her assignments and not fall behind. She was desperate to get to the local shop and buy a few necessities, like shampoo and soap and toothpaste – those supplies were dwindling and she was forced to stretch it for as long as possible. She had been in hospital when her parents had passed away in a tragic accident when she was only three. She barely remembered them. From there, she was bounced from foster home to foster home – no one wanted a sick child.

Eventually at age 10, and after more than two dozen homes, she was put in a group home. It was there that she met her best friend, Bree Tanner. Bree had been hurt, and afterwards, she had snuck into the hospital and explained what had happened, red eyes and all. She told her of vampires, of their ways. She had not wanted to harm humans, but had been forced into some battle. She went in the hopes of meeting the animal-drinkers that they were supposed to harm and planned to hide and surrender and learn their ways. Bree promised Amelia that she would come back for her, but she never had. Amelia knew in her heart that her best friend had died out there and missed her terribly. Fast-forward a few months and here she was, dying alone.

Amelia sighed and got out of the bathtub. After eating dinner, she hunted around for her list of things she needed to buy. She could not find it and decided to look for it in the morning. Sleepily, she grabbed a piece of scrap paper and wrote "black ballpoint pens" on it. She put it to the side, filled up her glass of water and climbed into bed armed with the last unread book in her stack. She fell asleep halfway through the chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can we go shopping?" queried Esme as they got into the car.

"Sure thing Esme, but why?" replied Carlisle in confusion. They certainly did not need any food or drink.

"For the items on this list," she said quietly, holding out a well-worn scrap piece of paper with a shopping list scribbled out.

"Amelia?"

"Yes. Seeing that they won't let her out the ward to shop, I figured I'd do it for her. Carlisle, there are some basic things on here. Soap, shampoo, deodorant, heck - there's even writing paper on here."

"Which shop do you have in mind?" queried Carlisle as he turned the engine on.

"Let's head to the mall and go from there."

An hour and a half later, they emerged from the mall with half a dozen bags crammed with things. Esme could hardly wait to see the look on Amelia's face when she saw everything in the morning. Alice had phoned and instructed Esme on what exactly to get, much to Esme's horror. She had been a vampire for going on a century and had no knowledge of modern-age beauty products that human's required, but Alice was different in that aspect as her tastes were geared more towards the expensive side of things. Amelia would certainly be embarrassed by that. Bella had wrestled the phone away from Alice and guided Esme – after all, she had been human not too long ago.

After writing a short note to Amelia, and removing all the price tags from some of the items, Esme and Carlisle returned to the hospital and went to Amelia's ward. The nurse let them in, with the promise that she would not tell Amelia who the donors were. Esme stood outside Amelia's room, listening to her worn out lungs struggle to breathe for her. Her heart too was battling. She took an unneeded breath and tiptoed in, taking in the sleeping teenager with a book still in her hand. Esme and Carlisle put down the shopping bags on the table next to her bed and Esme went to Amelia, taking the book from her hands and placing it on the other side of her bed. She then pulled the covers over her, thereby tucking her in and placed a kiss on her forehead. Carlisle took her hand and they left the hospital and drove home, both deep in thought.

* * *

"So how was your day, Grandma?" Nessie's cute little voice spoke through the phone.

"It was great thanks, sweetheart. How was your day? What did you get up to?"

"Well, Allie wanted to go shopping but Aunty Rosie said no. So I watched a DVD instead, and then Mommy made me some toasted sandwiches for lunch, and Uncle Emmett tried to steal it from me, which was so funny because he can't eat human food. Then Mommy and Daddy took me to Grandpa Charlie's house and we saw Jake there, and Aunty Sue as well. Seth and Leah came by too, but they couldn't stay long. And then –"

Esme and Carlisle smiled as their granddaughter launched into a blow-by-blow account of her day.

"That sounds lovely, Nessie. Uncle Emmett is silly for wanting to steal your lunch."

"Uh huh, he's really funny. I miss you Grandma."

"I miss you too Nessie. Be good for me, ok?"

"Ok Grandma," yawned Nessie into the phone, "Allie wants to talk to you. So does Daddy. Bye Grandma, I love you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart. Sleep tight."

"Hi Esme! So the furniture arrived for Nessie's room today, it looks amazing!" trilled Alice into the phone.

"That's great Alice, although I hope you know that Carlisle and I still don't buy your story."

"Think what you want, Mother dearest, but trust me on this one, ok? Oh, and Amelia is going to love the stuff you got her. In hindsight, Bella was probably the better person to consult."

"Yes dear."

After they were finished talking to Alice, Edward spoke to them briefly and before long, they were stretched out on the couch, watching a film.

* * *

Amelia awoke from a surprisingly peaceful sleep at around 5am the next morning. It had been a while since she slept without interruption, most nights she awoke coughing. She rolled over and saw her book on her bedside table. Strange, she did not remember putting it there. Dismissing that thought, she sat up and saw some bags on the table. She rubbed her eyes. There they were again. She stood up and went to the bathroom. When she came back, they were still there.

'Funny, they must have put these in the wrong room,' she thought to herself as she hunted for the label. She found the label and was surprised to see that they were for her. She then found a letter addressed to her, which she opened up and read.

 _Dear Amelia,_

 _We heard of your request to go shopping and get a few things. We are sorry to hear that you can't go shopping yourself but we hope that this will help in the interim. We found your list of items, so hope that the things we purchased are alright. Get well soon, and keep smiling :)_

 _Lots of love,_

 _Friends of yours xxx_

Amelia was shocked by the sweet gesture. Deciding that it was just too much to process, she went to make herself some tea. She reread the letter while waiting for the kettle to boil. She was waiting for someone to shout "April Fool!" to her or something similar, even although it was only January. Deciding it must be a prank, she leaned against the counter and stared into space, twisting her oxygen line around her fingers.

"Good morning Mia," greeted one of the nurses, giving her a hug.

"Good morning Sammy," she replied warmly, "Do you want some tea? Oh, and do you know anything about the parcels in my bedroom?"

"I'm alright thanks, Mia. A couple brought them in last night for you. I've not seen them before, but they seemed very nice. Apparently you had a slight bicker with Dr Anderson last night and were quite down?"

"I asked if she could give me the balcony key so that I could get some fresh air. It's been four months since I sat outside. I mentioned that I desperately needed some things from the shop as well, someone must have heard me although it was only the two of us in my room and I wasn't yelling or anything."

"Aw sweetie. I'm sorry, why didn't you say? I'll happily get you anything you need from the shops, just say the word. I can't help you with the outdoors issue, but what if we moved your armchair so that it rests under the window? That way when the sun shines, it will shine on you."

"I'd never ask that of you Sam, you need your sleep during the day."

"I promise you, the next time you need something, tell me and I will get it when I do my own shopping – no special trips just for you. Will that help?"

"Okay," Amelia drew out the last syllable, "thank you. That is most kind of you."

"You're more than welcome. Have you opened the parcels yet?"

"Nah. I figured it was a practical joke."

"I assure you it is not. I need to go and wake Mr Wagner up, but I'll pop in and see you before my shift ends, ok?"

"Ok, Sammy. Have fun with Mr Grumpy!"

The kettle boiled and she made her tea and walked slowly back to her room. She set her teacup down and got into bed, pulling her table closer to her. She opened up the first bag and found toiletries – shampoo, soap and other necessary items. She sighed in relief as she had desperately needed some toiletries. Taking a sip of her tea, she put that bag aside and picked up the next bag. In it was stationery – paper, a few writing books and even some highlighters. To her delight she noticed some black pens. She smiled in pure delight, how generous of these 'friends'! Moving that one aside, she found socks, underwear and pyjamas, as well as some new clothes in the other bags. She suddenly burst into tears; surely this was too good to be true? And who on earth would be so nice as to do something like this for her?

Pulling herself together, she straightened and wrote a letter which she stuck on her door. Soon it was time for physio and after that, she ate some breakfast and settled down to do some schoolwork.


	5. Chapter 5

Carlisle and Esme arrived the next morning at the hospital. Esme had opted to come in with Carlisle instead of remaining at home. She had plenty books to read in case, but her primary objective was to see Amelia. They detoured past her ward and ran into the nurse who helped them the previous evening.

"She left you a note on her door in case you come back. We weren't sure if you were going to return," said Samantha.

"I'm here for the conference, so we will both be around all week."

"Ok, well you can visit her in about an hour or so if you want. She is just busy having physiotherapy right now and then she eats breakfast and does her schoolwork and homework assignments once she feels a bit better. The physio makes her nauseous so she tries not to eat beforehand if she can help it. I'm sure she won't mind to do her schoolwork a little later if you want to see her soon."

"We'll leave her in peace so that she can study and visit her later. May I take a look at her patient file? We saw her yesterday after the conference and her case is certainly interesting."

"Certainly, Dr?" It was posed as a question.

"My apologies. I'm Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife Esme."

"I'm Samantha and I work the nightshift. Dr Anderson has already been for ward rounds and said that should any of the conference attendees want to see Amelia's file, they need to leave it by the nurse's station when they are done," she said, handing the file over.

"Thank you, Samantha," said Carlisle, smiling at her. Sam nodded, bid farewell and left them, popping into Amelia's room briefly to say goodbye before leaving the ward. Carlisle and Esme went through the file in record time, stopping when they found the contact details for her social worker. They jotted down the number and replaced the file. The walked past Amelia's room. The door had been closed, and on it was a note. 

' _Dear Anonymous Friends,_

 _Thank you greatly for your generous gifts that I woke up to this morning. I do appreciate the kindness that went into them, and I am most grateful for them. They will be put to great use._

 _Love from Mia xx_

Carlisle and Esme smiled at the letter, and Esme wrote underneath the words " _You're welcome, sweetheart"_ , with a heart next to it. They then departed and went to the conference.

* * *

Esme did not return after they went for lunch. She and Carlisle went to visit Amelia who was struggling with her schoolwork. The concept was not difficult to follow, but she was tiring out. As her lungs were not able to supply her body with enough oxygen, she tired quickly and slept when she could. They conversed briefly, Amelia had recognised them from the previous day's ward rounds, before falling asleep. Carlisle left for the afternoon session, and Esme decided that she would keep the sleeping teenager company. Her breathing was ragged and Esme's heart broke listening to the young girl struggle with something as simple as breathing.

'If only she were a vampire, then she would be able to breathe freely,' thought Esme as she read a book, 'Why don't we make her immortal? No, surely not. That is cruel. But she has so much to live for, yet her life is going to be cut short if she does not have a transplant.'

Her thoughts were cut short when Amelia had a coughing fit which woke her up. She struggled to clear her lungs of the thick mucus so characteristic of CF. Esme helped by tapping her back and placed a bowl under her mouth when Amelia went green and started dry heaving. Eventually her lungs cleared, along with most of her lunch. She sat up straight and tried desperately to regain her breath. Esme sat rubbing her back in soothing circles until she could breathe a little easier and had stopped shaking so much. Amelia got off the bed and carried the bowl to the bathroom to clean it out, then disinfected it and rinsed out her mouth. Esme helped her get back into bed and passed her some water.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she apologised profusely, eyes downcast.

"It's not a big deal. It happens. Hey," Esme replied, placing two fingers under Amelia's chin and lifting her chin up so that their eyes could meet, "don't worry about it. It's honestly not a problem. If it bothered me, I'd have left ages ago."

Amelia nodded, wiping her face. "I hate it so much."

"I take it you get sick a lot?"

"Unfortunately I do. The bad bouts of coughing make me throw up, which is why I eat breakfast after morning physio and delay afternoon physio until around 3pm so that it doesn't interfere with lunch or supper."

"That can't be pleasant."

"I've certainly had more pleasant things occur to me, yes." They both giggled. Esme proceeded to tell her about her family, her adopted children and her life in Forks. A spark of recognition shone in Amelia's eyes when Esme spoke of Forks, her mind putting two and two together. So this was the matriarch of the family that Bree had spoken of. She seemed nice. Amelia hoped that Esme had nothing to do with Bree's passing. She would not speak of it unless Esme broached it. But she knew what they were - vampires. Their eyes were golden brown, unlike Bree's. Her hands were cold like Bree's and her actions were fast. Her best friend had shown no aggression, no hint of wanting to hurt her so she assumed that vampires were not the feral creatures depicted in books and horror stories. She snapped out of her reverie when Esme asked her about herself.

"There really is not much to tell. I was born in Seattle. My parents died when I was three in an accident. They were hit by a drunk driver. I was in hospital with an infection at the time so I was not involved. I don't have many memories of them I'm afraid. I was in and out of foster care until I was ten. People don't want to take in a sick child so I never got adopted or anything. I can understand why though. People don't really want older kids either and when I wasn't in care, I was at the hospital. It seemed every time I went to hospital, I left the foster home at the time and went to a new one when I left hospital. When I was ten, I was placed in a group home. That is how I met my best friend and unofficial sister, Bree Tanner. She left one day and never came back. That will be two years ago this year. I miss her dreadfully. Since then, my health has not been the greatest and now I am here."

Esme hugged her, and Amelia automatically stiffened. It took a while for her to warm up to people, especially after some of the abusive homes that she had been to. She also did not enjoy sympathy directed towards her when she told someone her story. It was a fact of life. Get over it. She did. But with Esme, it just seemed different. She was nice, she appeared to genuinely care. Cautiously, she hugged her back.

"It was you and Dr Cullen, wasn't it? You were the ones who gave me all those nice things this morning."

"Yes, it was us. We saw your note on the door."

"Thank you very much. It is so kind of you."

"You're most welcome. Have you used anything yet?"

"I wanted to, but physio makes me sweaty and gross so I decided to wait until after my afternoon physio before I use the shampoo and stuff. I will put the pyjamas on too, I cannot wait, they are super soft and it will be a nice to get out of these hospital gowns for once. I hope I am not too tired after physio because I really want to wash my hair, it does need a wash so badly."

"Is it tiring?"

"What, washing my hair? Yeah. Cos it's hard to shower with my oxygen line and I can barely function for like five minutes without getting so out of breath and washing my hair just takes up so much energy. So I don't do a good job. Bathing is easier in general because I can lie in the tub as long as I am careful with my O2 line but it's harder to wash one's hair in the bath. It was easier when I only need oxygen at night. It's harder now."

"But that will be better after the transplant, right?"

Amelia looked sad and turned her head away, but that did not stop Esme from seeing the single tear running down her face. Just then Carlisle walked in and effectively ended that conversation.


	6. Chapter 6

"Carlisle, she knows Bree," stated Esme as soon as they left Amelia's room. It was time for her afternoon physiotherapy.

"Bree, as in the girl who surrendered in Victoria's army?" responded Carlisle in shock.

"Yes. They grew up together. Amelia must be the "Mia" that Edward said to whom Bree was referring in her thoughts, the girl she wanted us to take care of."

"What else did you learn about her?"

"She is sick. She is dying and she knows it, and I think that she will refuse a transplant should she live long enough to receive one."

"You think so?"

"Her spirit is breaking. It's a very hard fight. She started throwing up when I was with her. Apparently the bad coughing fits make her ill and she has them frequently. What sort of life is that for a child her age? Anyway, I don't think she made the link between us and Bree. She never mentioned it."

Carlisle sighed sadly. He felt bad for the young girl. He glanced at Esme and took her hand as they exited the hospital. She was going to die alone. A discussion with Dr Sanders and Dr Anderson that morning had left him with the bitter truth. Her lungs were failing rapidly and their function had dropped to 25% over the course of the last couple of weeks. The latest lab results had finally given them some answers – she had a fungal infection superimposed on the bacterial infection. Her kidneys were coping for now, as was her liver but it would not be long before those gave in as well. She was likely to die within a year. They were going to break the news to her in the morning and Carlisle had asked if he could accompany them. They had surprisingly enough agreed, but on condition of Amelia's approval.

Carlisle filled Esme in on the details on their drive home.

"She is going to die alone," stated Esme flatly.

"Yes."

"She will die without anyone to miss her. No family by her side, nothing."

"There is nothing we can do now, Esme. No one is going to foster her. She is not going to be leaving hospital any time soon."

"What if we adopted her, Carlisle? Fostered her even? Give her a home to live out her last days."

"Es, I'm still not sure that is the best idea."

"Why ever not, Carlisle?"

"We've had enough encounters with the Volturi to last a lifetime and beyond. The treaty we have with the Quileutes still stands. "

"Jacob allowed Bella to be turned into a vampire."

"Chalk and cheese."

They sat in silence for the rest of the way home. Esme wished she could speak to Edward, as her eldest son, he was her confidant and had helped her immensely when she was first turned. He always gave sound advice. Her phoned buzzed with a text from Alice.

 _We'll phone you in 15 minutes. A x_

She pressed the reply button and responded with a quick message of her own.

15 minutes later, she was having a chat with Nessie, who, once again, was giving her a blow by blow account of her day. Edward had played piano with her, and she had watched a film with Seth and Leah at Charlie's house. Edward chatted to her as well and she felt a lot better after her discussion with her son. At 6.45 she stood up and grabbed the car keys.

"Where are you off to?" queried Carlisle in surprise.

"It's visiting hours at 7." Esme was still smarting.

"Want me to come with you?"

"No thank you Carlisle. I'll see you later."

* * *

She shut the door behind her and got into the car. She turned on the radio and listened to a classical station as she drove to the hospital with her thoughts in a jumble. She found a parking space in the lot, which was rapidly filling up, and walked inside and upstairs to Amelia's room. She was greeted by Samantha.

"Hey Mrs Cullen, good to see you back."

"Hello Sam. How is Amelia doing?"

"She has eaten some dinner, not much from what I can see. I'm leaving it in her room for now, she might want to warm some of it up later. She was going to shower I think but you are more than welcome to go in and wait. I'm going to check on her again in 10 minutes, sometimes she needs help. If she needs help before that, please shout and I'll be there."

"Thanks Sam. I'll do so."

Esme knocked on Amelia's room and upon receiving no response, entered the empty room. She could hear her coughing from the bathroom.

"Amelia, it's Esme. Are you alright?" she called through the door.

"Oh, hey Mrs Cullen. I'm ok. Just a little cough," she replied.

"Do you need some help?"

"Uhhh I'm ok for now," came the hesitant reply, followed by a whispered "Ow!"

"What's wrong?"

"Shampoo in my eyes. It's all good."

Esme heard some crashing, more coughing and ragged breathing. To hell with it, she was going in. She burst in to find Amelia sitting on the floor on the shower with a facecloth in one hand, trying to remove the shampoo from her eyes and her other hand groping around for her nasal cannula. Esme sat down, picked it up and applied it to her face while Amelia struggled to get her breath back, calling for Sam as she did. Sam came in and ran out again, returning with a proper oxygen mask which she attached to Amelia's oxygen line and held to her face, taking over from Esme.

"Could you please run a bath, Mrs Cullen? Nice and warm. She is incredibly cold and we need to get her hair washed."

Esme did as she was told and soon Amelia was warming up in the bath and breathing easier than before. Sam was called away to assist with another patient. Esme helped her finish washing her hair and aided her out of the tub. It was obvious that Amelia was feeling unwell, she offered no resistance to the help she was receiving. Once she was dry and in her new pyjamas, Esme ran a comb through her hair, taking out the tangles and drying her hair for her. Afterwards, Amelia smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you, Mrs Cullen. You are far too kind to me. I can never repay you for all that you have done for me."

"It's nothing sweetheart, honestly. And please call me Esme," said Esme with a smile on her face.

"So this is what it must feel like, having a Mom," she sighed.

If Esme could have cried, she would have. Instead, she tried to coerce Amelia to eat some more food.  
"Hospital food is not the best, but at least it is food. So many people in the world go without so I should not really complain."

"It's ok to complain a little. Hospital food is known for tasting pretty...awful. Airline food as well."

"What's it like, travelling in an aeroplane?"

"It's alright, nothing too amazing. Have you never been in one before?"

"Nope. I've been in a helicopter though, they flew me in from Seattle. I don't remember much of it, I was pretty out of it at the time," she said with a wry chuckle.

"Would you like some tea? I'm going to make some for myself."

"No thank you Amelia. Want me to make it for you?"

"It's cool. I could do with the exercise from here to the kettle." With a smile, she climbed out of bed and shuffled over to the kettle that stood in the kitchenette not too far from her room. Esme followed her and carried her tea back for her. They chatted a little more, with Esme recounting a particularly funny story involving Emmett and Jasper. Soon visiting hours was over and it was time for evening meds before bed time for Amelia.

"Thank you for coming to visit me again, Esme. It was lovely to have some company for a change."

"You're welcome, my dear. Sleep well."

"You too."

Esme left the room, passing Sam as she made her way to leave the ward.

"Mrs Cullen?"

"Yes Sam?"

"Thank you for all of your help this evening."

"It's only a pleasure. She is a darling."

"She is. You know, she couldn't stop talking about you earlier on. I have never seen her so happy before. Thank you for that. I'm not sure if Dr Cullen told you, but tomorrow morning Dr Anderson and Dr Sanders are going to have a chat with her about her health around 7am during ward rounds. It's not going to be pretty, I'm sure she would appreciate any support she can have if you are available."

"I'll be there. Thank you, Sam."

"Welcome, Mrs Cullen. Have a good evening."

"You too."

Esme sighed as she left the ward. She was still at a loss what to do. She desperately wanted to give Amelia the family she so desperately craved. But Carlisle was stubborn. She knew he disliked turning someone into their kind, but she wasn't going to survive, just like everyone else he had turned in their family – they were all dying when he turned them. He honoured his Hippocratic Oath. Edward had said that Bree had begged the 'mind reader' in the coven to take care of Mia, but Felix had killed her before he could gain anything else. They knew nothing of Bree, not even a last name. Esme had been sad when the Volturi demanded Bree's death, she was a gentle soul. Edward said later that she had a kind mind, and that her last thoughts were of Mia. They kept looking for a vampire called Mia, but to no avail. Esme wondered if Amelia knew that Bree was turned into a vampire, but that was a conversation that could wait for another day.


	7. Chapter 7

When Esme walked into the house, she was greeted to the sight of Carlisle at the dining room table printing some documents off of his laptop whilst talking on the phone to someone. Surprised, she walked up to him. He acknowledged her presence with a smile, and held up his finger, pointing at his cell phone. He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll get right on to it. How soon do you need the forms back? Ok, well today is Tuesday, so I will have them filled out by tomorrow. Do they need to be sent back to you, or can I use the local office? Ok, I'll courier them to you. How long should this process take? Oh, so quick? No that's perfect. Thank you very much. Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Colgan. Bye for now."

Carlisle hung up the phone and put it down on the table before embracing his wife.

"How was your visit?" he enquired politely.

"It was most pleasant, thank you. What are all of these papers?" Esme glanced at the printer, which finished printing the last page and fell silent.

"Adoption papers for Amelia."

Esme glanced up at him in shock, blinking stupidly.

"I took the time to think it through while you were gone. I also spoke with Alice and Edward. Apparently Alice foresaw this coming. That's why they have been decorating the spare bedroom. It's not for Nessie, it's for Amelia. All of the kids are on board with the idea, even Jacob – he and Jasper have been crafting a bookcase for her room."

Esme could hardly believe her ears. "And you? How about you, Carlisle? Two hours ago, you were dead set against the idea."

"I've decided to hell with the Volturi. She quite possibly knows about us already from Bree. Bree at least had the sense not to say anything out loud to protect Amelia. The decision to become vampire will be hers – I will respect her wishes no matter what she chooses. Should she wish to be turned, then we turn her. Should she wish to die, we'll stay with her until the end. Should she opt for a transplant, we will help her through it as well. And, as the true Alpha of the pack, Jacob has the decision to make, not Sam Uley. Jacob has said that he will allow it."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I want to give her a family just as much as you do, I just needed to be sure that we could include her. I'd hate for us to bond with her only to have the treaty enforced. You haven't been able to stop talking about her. She seems like a lovely girl. She will be a daughter of your own who you can actually care for and run around after, not like Alice and Rosalie, or even Nessie for that matter. Leah and Seth have even asked if they can help out, Alice has foreseen the three of them being close friends."

"Carlisle, are you doing this just because of me?"

"No Esme, although if you disapproved of the idea, then I would not proceed with things are they currently stand."

Esme nodded her head and hugged her husband again, sighing. Carlisle let go of her and led her to their bedroom. He ran a bath for her and encouraged her to relax while he started filling out the adoption paperwork. They went for a quick hunt afterwards; Alice informed them that they would be thanking her tomorrow for making them go. Later, as they scrawled their signatures at the bottom of the paperwork and stuffed them in an envelope, Carlisle enquired further about her visit with Amelia.

"I helped her wash her hair," she said brightly, "and I combed it too! We had to rescue her from the shower because it was too hard for her. That must really suck, not even being strong enough to wash your hair without getting out of breath. She remarked that that was what having a mom must feel like. Anyway, she didn't eat much but let me carry her tea back to her room. We chatted a bit about the kids, I told her about the prank Emmett and Jasper pulled on Alice. She seemed to enjoy hearing their stories."

"Sounds like you had fun," replied Carlisle with a smile. They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Thank you, Carlisle." Esme broke the silence about ten minutes.

"For what?"

"For our daughter." Carlisle's only response was a passionate kiss that would have left them breathless had they been human.

* * *

A short while later, Esme started to get a gloomy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She generally got them when one of her kids was unhappy or upset or hurting in some way. Call it mother's instinct, she intuitively knew when one of her kids needed her. The last time she had felt this way, she and Carlisle had been hunting. That had been the day that Renesmee was born, and that was the day that she had sat comforting her son when he was worried that he had lost his wife, and her beloved daughter.

"Something is wrong with one of the kids." It was a statement. Carlisle glanced up at her in confusion.

"I'm sure they are alright, Es, relax honey."

Suddenly both of their cell phones began to ring. They grabbed their phones, Alice's name lit up on her screen, Rosalie's on Carlisle's.

"It's Amelia. Get to the hospital now!" yelled Alice, her voice shrill with worry. Rosalie apparently had a similar message. Carlisle and Esme looked at each other in horror and bolted out the door. Esme started running to the hospital, Carlisle locked up the house and drove there so as to remain inconspicuous. They met each other at the entrance, running at a human pace to Amelia's room. At 2am, the ward was relatively quiet aside from the bustle of activity coming from their daughter's room. Her ragged breathing was being cut off by heavy coughing and a rapid heartbeat. The spasms were worsening and she could barely regain her breath between fits. The smell of blood mixed with mucus filled their nostrils. Esme ran into Amelia's room, Carlisle hot on her heels. He snapped on some gloves and started helping.

"Someone please tell me that Dr Anderson is on her way!" yelled Samantha. One of the nurses ran out of the room. Esme lifted Amelia's arms up and over her head, the classic way to open up someone's chest, and braced her fragile body against her own. Samantha held a napkin to her mouth as Amelia continued to cough up blood. Carlisle took her temperature.

"She's burning up. When did this start, Samantha?"

"About ten minutes ago. She's been having a bad night, coughing quite a lot so she went on her nebuliser so help loosen some of it up. She slept about an hour, then woke up choking like this –" her sentence was cut off by Amelia jerking forward and coughing up more blood. Carlisle handed Sam a towel from the linen closet and Sam pressed it over her mouth until it cleared, then swapping the towel for an oxygen mask, calmly reassuring her young patient that everything was going to be ok and that she didn't need to panic, stroking her forehead and pushing the now damp strands of hair out of her face as she did so.

"She's coughing up blood and mucus separately. It's a fresh bleed," continued Sam, "We are waiting on Dr Anderson. We've booked a theatre in case, and the standby anaesthetist should be here any minute."

"Do you think that she is stable enough for anaesthesia? That's quite a risk in her state."

"I'm getting all my ducks in a row so that we can alleviate this situation a.s.a.p. I'd rather be over-prepared than waste precious time hunting down various personnel in half an hour's time. Mia doesn't have that time to waste." The last part was whispered but Carlisle and Esme heard it clearly, and the message behind it.

The anaesthetist and Dr Anderson arrived within minutes of each other. An hour later, Amelia was in Radiology for a chest x-ray and her temperature was dropping to normal levels thanks to the medication that had been administered. It was clear that the fungal infection was worsening, and indirectly had burst a blood vessel.

* * *

Esme sat alone in Amelia's room, the smell of blood still lingering. It was now going on 6am. Carlisle had accompanied Amelia to the operating theatre where the doctors were performing an angiogram to embolise the blood vessel that had started bleeding. Esme was deep in her thoughts and didn't hear Sam come in.

"Here, you look like you could do with some. I promise it's decent, I bring my own stash of coffee to avoid being poisoned by that crap that the machine down the hall has the nerve to call coffee," said Sam, as she put some coffee down in front of Esme. Esme glanced at the coffee. She had always enjoyed the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, even if she could not drink it.

"Thank you, Sam." She smiled and took the cup in her hands, blowing on the coffee to cool it down.

"Mia's a fighter, she'll pull through this," Sam stated as she started stripping the bed of its bloody sheets. Two other nurses poked their head around the door.

"Any news on Mia?" one of them asked.

"No Charlotte, nothing yet," replied Sam.

"Ok. Well it's change of shift in less than an hour. You've been on your feet all night with Mia, so just take it easy now. Claire will take over for you on Mia's case, unless they send her back to ICU, so please update her when she arrives," the other nurse said, obviously the head nurse of the ward.

"Thanks Melissa," said Sam gratefully.

Esme stood to help Sam put the fresh sheets on Amelia's bed, then Sam took them out of the room and returned soon after with her own cup of coffee. Alice had texted and confirmed Sam's thoughts – Amelia would be ok.

"Do you think Amelia will be allowed to return to Seattle soon?"

"Not like this, no. I hope she gets to go home for a little while though. Why do you ask?" Sam's tone was gentle and warm.

"Carlisle and I want to adopt Amelia. It will be nice to give her a family she deserves. No matter what happens to her, she shouldn't have to go through it alone."

"I think she would like that very much," replied Sam, with a large smile on her face, "goodness knows that girl deserves some love in this world. How did you know to come when you did earlier on?"

"Call it mothers' instinct."

They sat in companionable silence for a while. Change of shift came and went, with Claire being apprised of the latest developments with regards to Amelia's case.

"Shouldn't you be going home, Sam?" queried Esme at around 7.30am.

"I just want to know that she is alright. I can't stand not knowing. She is special to all of us here in the ward."

Esme's phone buzzed with a text from Alice.

' _Relax Esme, she is going to be ok, I promise. A x' ._ Esme sighed in relief.

A few minutes later, Esme could hear Carlisle coming up the stairs. Soon he entered the room.

"She's in ICU right now. We managed to embolise the bleeding vessel, it was quite a big one that was bleeding. We suctioned what we could from her lungs, and she's receiving anti-fungal medication and anti-pyretic medication as well. She's still sedated; we're going to leave her intubated for now to keep her vitals strong."

"Thanks Dr Cullen," said Sam, evidently relieved. She stood up to leave, stifling a yawn as she did so, "I'll see you both a bit later. I'd better get going. It was lovely chatting to you, Mrs Cullen."

"Likewise, Sam. And please, call me Esme." They smiled at each other and Sam left.

"She is still asleep, my darling. We are giving her meds for the fungal infection and meds to bring her fever down, and a tube is still breathing for her."

Esme nodded fiercely, her eyes full with unshed tears. Carlisle sat down in the chair vacated by Sam and embraced his wife, who dry sobbed in his arms.

"She's going to be alright, Es, she is going to be just fine," he soothed, rubbing her back as he did so. When she had calmed down, he took her by the hand and led her to the ICU. Amelia looked pale and fragile, dwarfed by all of the equipment that was surrounding her bed. Her chest rose steadily in time to the machinery.

"May I stay a while?" asked Esme, not wanting to leave her new daughter alone.

"That can be arranged," said Dr Anderson, walking into the room, looking grave, "we need to chat about Amelia. She is getting worse, it seems as though she is no better than when she first arrived. She's been here for months and she's not improving. I think we should let her go back to Washington as soon as she is well enough to travel. Perhaps a change of scenery will do her good."

"We still need to discuss her options with her. She doesn't know yet that we are adopting her. From there, her medical care needs to be planned."

"I am more than happy to release her into your capable hands, Carlisle. However, should she opt for a transplant, I would prefer that she come here for it."

Carlisle nodded and he and Dr Anderson left the room to talk privately. Esme sat with Amelia, holding her hand, rubbing circles on her small hand with her thumb.

"You scared me back there, sweetheart," she informed the sleeping teenager, "but I am so glad to hear that you are going to be ok. Soon, you'll be able to come home with us and you can meet your brothers and sisters. It's going to be such fun. I'm going to be your Mom. Won't that be lovely? We can do stuff together, like bake cookies and watch movies. You can come to me for advice any time of the day or night, and I can help you with your lessons, even teach you to drive a car. Don't let Emmett do it, he'll surely teach you incorrectly. Alice is excited - I think she is looking forward to someone else to shop for."

While Esme continued her chatter, Carlisle watched her from the doorway. His wife was a truly exceptional woman.

"Having fun?" he enquired, arching an eyebrow. Esme turned to look at him sadly. "Let's go home, Es. She is still fast asleep. She won't be awake until tonight. The staff will call us, and Alice will keep an eye on any changes. ICU does have strict rules. We will come back later, I promise. Besides, we have papers to send to make her a member of our family."

Esme reluctantly stood up and kissed her daughter's forehead and smoothened the blankets down.

"Good bye sweetheart, see you later. I love you lots," she whispered in Amelia's ear. Taking Carlisle's hand, they walked out of ICU and went home.


	8. Chapter 8

Late afternoon could not have come soon enough for the Cullen matriarch. Carlisle had caved after Esme begged to be allowed back to the hospital. She waited somewhat impatiently outside the ICU until Dr Anderson had taken pity on her and allowed her in. They had lifted the sedation and were waiting for Amelia to wake up before extubating her. Esme and Carlisle noticed the subtle changes before Dr Anderson did, and when Amelia somewhat groggily awoke, her new mom would the first person she saw.

"Hey there, sweetie," she murmured with a smile when Amelia focussed on her, "welcome back."

Amelia took a moment to assess her surroundings, her brow crinkling as she recalled the events that led her to the ICU.

Dr Anderson took over. "Amelia, we are going to take that tube out now, ok? You know the drill, cough when we tell you to." Amelia nodded and winced when she did. Esme rubbed her shoulder. Carlisle deflated the cuff, then Dr Anderson nodded at Amelia. She coughed and the tube was removed. She continued coughing until her chest was clear and Carlisle placed an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. When she had regained her breath, Dr Sanders had joined them. Swapping over to a nasal cannula, Amelia looked at the people gathered in front of her expectantly.

"We need to chat to you about your health Amelia," began Dr Sanders. Amelia nodded, and looked at Dr Anderson.

"You had a nasty bleeder. You have a fungal infection superimposing the bacterial infection, so while we were embolising we suctioned out as much as we could. You are on a course of strong anti-fungal medication, cortisone and some antibiotics. Your lung function has dropped to 25%. For now, your liver and kidneys are holding out, but I am concerned about your heart. We are monitoring it, but you are in the beginning stages of right heart failure. Your ankles will start to swell up from fluid retention in the near future. Your lips are blue and now your tongue had gone blue as well, and your fingers have clubbed. These are not good signs, Amelia."

"It's a sign that my body is failing, isn't it?"

"The signs themselves merely indicate the presence of a chronic lung, heart or liver disease, but in your case, yes, these signs coupled with everything else lead us to that conclusion."

"And my options are a double lung transplant or no transplant? If I choose to not have the transplant, then what happens?"

"Correct. Without a transplant, you will die. And sadly, it will be sooner rather than later. It's January now. At the rate your lungs are declining, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you are unlikely to see this Christmas. If you choose the transplant route, there are risks involved. Bear in mind that lung transplants are the most commonly rejected transplanted organ. I cannot guarantee that we will find you a match in time either - it's a lottery ticket really as to who gets it. Tissue typing needs to be done, once you are identified as a potential recipient, we will assess your state of health. If you are too ill, and are unlikely to survive the operation, you will likely not receive the organs."

Dr Anderson did not mince her words as she laid down the facts for Amelia, something for which Amelia was grateful. Her options were limited. Even if she survived the transplant, she would have to spend the rest of her life taking medication. But it would be different. She would still have the disease, still have the Diabetes and digestive problems and everything else, but her lungs would be free from disease. Subconsciously, Amelia had reached for Esme's hand while Dr Anderson was talking.

"Will I be allowed to go home at some point in the near future? I just want to get out of here for a little while. Call it cabin fever."

"Yes Amelia, if all goes according to plan, you should be on your way to Washington within the next two or three weeks."

* * *

Dr Anderson left Amelia soon thereafter, with Dr Sanders following her. Carlisle and Esme glanced at each other and Carlisle took a seat next to Esme.

"Amelia, we also have something we'd like to discuss with you," began Carlisle.

"Ok, shoot."

"Esme and I have been talking. We have spoken to our children and they are all in agreement. We would, with your permission of course, like to adopt you."

Amelia gaped at them in shock. Her free hand flew to her mouth, the other one squeezed Esme's hand. Esme patted it in response, before letting it go. Amelia covered her face as she burst into tears. Esme rushed to hug the teenager.

"Don't worry, those are happy tears," a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. Carlisle and Esme looked up in shock to see Alice casually leaning against the doorway, a smile on her face. Rosalie stood next to her, her bright gold eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Alice? Rose?" Carlisle whispered.

"Uh huh. We ran, it was faster than flying," stated Alice in a low tone, careful not to disturb Amelia. They walked in hesitantly. Amelia looked up and saw them. Carlisle rushed to introduce them.

"We're going to be sisters now!" exclaimed Alice in excitement. Amelia dared not laugh, but nothing could have wiped the massive smile from her face. Rosalie gave her a big hug; then she and Alice left, stating that they would see her tomorrow as they could see Amelia was tiring out.

"You'll be in your own room again tomorrow, Mia. I have a good feeling about that." With a wink, Alice was gone, Rosalie in her wake.

"Are you serious when you say that you want to adopt me?" Amelia's voice was laced with wariness, "I won't be upset if you change your mind."

"We are one hundred percent certain my dear. Alice has already commandeered the boys into painting the spare bedroom for you, and some of their friends are helping out as well. Alice and Rose plan to take you shopping and get some clothes, and they want you to choose a bedspread at some point," Esme was unable to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Wow. This is amazing. But this is a huge burden for you to look after me."

"No Amelia, it's not," Carlisle interjected, "You are not the first child we have adopted. We wouldn't take you in unless we were certain."

"But none of your children are sick like me."

"Which is why we love you. You're unique, just like all of our kids. The others will love you. Rosalie is the prickly one in the family, and she already loves you," Esme spoke this time. Both her and Carlisle smiled at the faint, "I heard that!" coming from their eldest daughter who waiting outside the ICU.

Amelia nodded. "If you are sure, then yes please, I would like to be part of your family."

"It's settled then," beamed Esme and swept Amelia up in yet another hug.

"Don't hug her to death, Esme, not at least until we have gone shopping. I still want to brag about my new baby sister," muttered Alice. Rosalie giggled. Carlisle rolled his eyes and whispered softly, "Hush you two."

"Alice is doing a ridiculous victory dance in public. It's embarrassing, Carlisle. Can I leave her here, please?" Rosalie's annoyed tone joined in the conversation.

"We are big sisters, Rosie-Posie! I'm gonna dance my butt off. It's a reason to celebrate."

"People are staring at us, you demented pixie! That's it, we are leaving. See you at home, Carlisle."

"I suspect you are rather tired, my dear," said Carlisle softly. Amelia nodded in response, suddenly aware of how tired she was feeling.

"Get some rest, Amelia," said Esme, helping Amelia lie down and tucking her in, fussing about her like a mother hen. Amelia smiled sadly.

"I've always wanted to be tucked in by my mom." Esme stopped dead in her tracks, then smoothed her hair and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Carlisle did the same, and Amelia was asleep before they had even left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Alice and Rosalie were waiting for their parents in the living room when they finally arrived home. Esme engulfed both of them in a hug.

"Everything is going according to plan, Esme," squealed Alice. Esme merely grinned in delight.

"What brought you girls out here?" queried Carlisle, "is everything alright at home?"

"Everything is fine, Carlisle," said Rosalie, "we were just concerned for our baby sister, and wanted to be here for her."

"And because you need to tell her about us Carlisle," interjected Alice, "She already suspects but she needs confirmation. It's the third option she needs to be aware of. We don't want her to think that we are forcing her to become one of us, but it is important for her to understand everything."

Carlisle nodded in assent. "We'll tell her tomorrow then."

"I feel sorry for her – she was so surprised that we want her to join our family," said Rose sadly.

"How do you feel about her becoming one of us, Rose?" asked Esme gently.

"She is sick, Esme. I will not hold it against her should she choose to become immortal. She deserves to be a part of a family."

"She won't have children, Esme," stated Alice quietly.

"Can't or won't?"

"Won't. The doctor is right, she isn't going to see this Christmas."

"When?"

"I can't be sure, but it looks like September or October, or thereabouts. She will choose not to go the transplant route; at least that is her current decision. I can tell you that she was brought out here; I can see you both with her when it happens," Alice paused, uncertain whether she ought to continue.

"Just tell me, Alice," Esme demanded. Carlisle reached for her hand.

"The rest of us are outside the room. Jacob has Nessie back here because Amelia wouldn't want to upset her. She would have preferred to die at home, but doesn't want to put you through the trauma of encountering her empty bedroom that she died in everyday for eternity. Her kidneys have given up, and at her request, Carlisle signs off the paperwork to withdraw all treatment. She's in and out of consciousness for two or three days, before you tell her that she can let go. She is going to suffer immensely, it will be a relief when she finally goes," concluded Alice, unshed tears brimming in her golden eyes.

Carlisle did his best to calm the three women standing before him. Esme dry sobbed in his arms, fearful of losing her new daughter, Rose and Alice hugged each other tightly, both suddenly aware of just how unwell their baby sister was.

* * *

The next morning saw the four Cullens standing outside the ICU. Sam saw them and greeted them, before ducking into the ICU to check on Mia before she left. A few minutes later, she walked out, smiling at their enthusiasm.

"Mia had a good night, no disturbances. They will move her back to her old room this afternoon. She is awake and looking forward to seeing you all. I take it you girls must be Alice and Rosalie? She was chatting away nineteen to the dozen about her new family, and how her new sisters had come to see her. I've never seen her so animated before. She has just had physio so is a bit chesty but otherwise she is on the road to recovery." A terrible, hacking cough emphasised her words. It was too soft for Sam to hear, or so they thought, but the Cullens heard it loud and clear.

"When can we see her?" queried Esme, who looked ready to run in to the ICU at the nearest available opportunity. Laughing quietly, Sam punched in her code and opened up the doors to the ICU.

"In you go."

Esme half ran inside, Alice hot on her heals.

"Thank you, Samantha," said Carlisle, smiling tenderly at his daughter's dedicated nurse. Rosalie echoed his sentiments.

"Anytime, Dr Cullen. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and hunt."

"Hunt?" queried Carlisle. Rosalie's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You have a pretty large coven, Dr Cullen. I didn't believe it at first. I heard about the Volturi showdown, that was your coven right?"

"Uh huh. You're an animal drinker as well then?"

"Yes I am. My gift is to disguise myself as a human, which is why you did not pick it up. We can chat about this another time - your youngest daughter wants to see you right now."

With a nod, Carlisle and Rosalie walked into the ICU to where Amelia was. Esme was trying to coax her into eating some breakfast with little success. Alice glanced at Carlisle and grinned at him – she had heard the exchange between Sam and her father and knew that it was coming. Rosalie snickered, Alice had told her on the way to Rochester. Esme frowned, she had been so busy chatting to Amelia that she had missed the exchange. Amelia chased Carlisle away – he had missed out on the day's activities at the conference yesterday because of her, and she was not having him miss another day. Esme, Alice and Rose left soon after – the ICU was stricter than a general ward and exceptions had been made for Amelia because she had never had visitors before, but she needed some rest. They left with the promise of visiting later.

"Can you believe that Sam is one of us?" Rosalie began the conversation to clue Esme in as to what had happened. Esme glanced at her in confusion as she drove them home.

"She's a vampire, Es," stated Alice.

"What?!"

"Uh huh. Her gift is the ability to disguise herself as human. She's an animal drinker as well."

"Wow." Esme was rendered speechless.

* * *

Later that morning, Esme, Alice and Rosalie drove to one of the bigger shopping malls in Rochester. Alice wanted to get some things for Amelia. She zoomed into a toy shop, and emerged a few minutes later with a giant Winnie the Pooh plush toy.

"I want to get her some clothes," she whined.

"Rather do a clothes shop with her present, Alice," chided Esme softly.

"She'll love this hoodie," replied Alice, dragging them into a clothing store.

"I rate we get her some books," said Rosalie about two hours later.

"Excellent idea!" exclaimed Alice, charging off to the nearest bookstore and grabbing some books, "she hasn't got these ones, and will love them."

Esme spied some jigsaw puzzles and walked over to them. Selecting one, she walked back to where Alice was standing.

"You'd better get Nessie something, Esme. There's a curio shop over there, you know how she loves keyrings and other little odds and ends," she directed.

* * *

Soon enough, they were done and heading back to the car with their purchases. Amelia now owned a backpack, a new suitcase, two new hoodies and a Winnie the Pooh plush toy, along with some new books and a new puzzle. Nessie had a few presents as well, and the trio had also bought some clothes for themselves. They stopped off at home and deposited some of their items, before driving back to the hospital. It was shortly after lunch when they arrived. They went up to Amelia's usual room – Carlisle had texted Esme telling her that Amelia had been transferred out of ICU.

When they arrived, Amelia was napping in her room, breathing a little easier than before. She had fallen asleep while writing something down. Esme went to tuck her in properly and moved her notepad away. Amelia stirred, her eyes snapping open and locking with Esme's.

"Hey sweetheart," Esme cooed. Amelia blinked and stretched.

"Hey Esme," Amelia responded, yawning widely.

"You're awake!" cheered Alice and Rosalie. Amelia grinned and swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly slid out of bed until she could stand up. Gripping the edge of the bed, she took a hesitant step forward. Esme grabbed her hand and helped her remain upright.

"Can I get you something?" queried Alice.

"I would like some tea, so while I am making it, would anyone else like something to drink?" asked Amelia.

"We'll take care of it," promised Alice and Rosalie as they left the room armed with Amelia's chipped cup and empty glass of water.

"Are you ok?" questioned Esme.

"Yes thank you," she smiled, "but I just want to stretch my legs a bit and visit the loo." She did just that, then Esme and her took a short walk to the end of the ward and back. Alice and Rosalie were back with a cup of tea, a glass of water and a rusk. Expressing her thanks, Amelia climbed onto her bed and sat cross-legged, dunking her rusk in tea and munching it thoughtfully. Esme sat in the chair in the corner, Alice had taken up residence on the rocking chair, and Rosalie was sitting on Amelia's bed, feet dangling over the side.

"We got you a few things," said Rose, handing Amelia a few bags.

"More stuff? Ah you guys really shouldn't have, but thank you!" Amelia eagerly opened up the bags. The plush toy was a big hit, as were the hoodies and books.

"I love puzzles!" she exclaimed when she saw the puzzle, "perhaps we can do it tomorrow?"

"I'd love that," said Alice and Rosalie simultaneously. Esme had one last gift up her sleeve – a new dressing gown to replace Amelia's threadbare little one. It was soft and maroon in colour. Esme had also taken the liberty of washing it for her so that it didn't smell funny like new clothing sometimes does.

"It's so soft! How lovely! Thank you ever so much, Esme!"

Just then it was time for afternoon physiotherapy. The trio remained with Amelia so that they could learn how to do it themselves so that she could still have her physio when she came to live with them. It was taxing on Amelia but it was a part of her daily life and she was used to it by now. 45 minutes later, Esme bundled a sweating and shaking teenager into the bathtub.

"You have dried blood in your hair from yesterday morning so I'm going to wash it out for you, ok?" Amelia nodded tiredly, her breathing agonising. Her chest still ached from the events of the previous day and drawing in breath was painful and hard work, especially after physio. Esme washed her hair at vampire speed, then wrapped her hair up in a towel and left her to soak for a little while.

Amelia must have dozed off, because the next thing she was aware of was being pulled from the cool water and dried off quickly, before being bundled into thick pyjamas. Rosalie ran a comb through Amelia's hair and Alice dried it off for her. Esme picked her up and tucked her into bed, and she slept for another couple of hours.


	10. Chapter 10

That evening, the four Cullens and Sam sat in Amelia's room, waiting for her to awaken.

"She'll be awake in two minutes," stated Alice. The small talk that Carlisle, Esme and Sam had been having ceased immediately and everyone patiently waited for the youngest person in the room to wake up. She started coughing and woke herself up. Sam held up some tissues for Amelia, which she took gratefully. She blinked a couple of times and took everyone in, before breaking into a tired smile.

"Evening everyone, sorry you all had to see that," she apologised.

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," scolded Esme with an amused smile gracing her beautiful face. Amelia chuckled wryly. A somewhat awkward silence fell, broken quickly by Carlisle.

"There is something we need to talk to you about, Amelia."

"Okay?" This was phrased more as a question.

"Our family is slightly different from other families," tried Esme. Amelia nodded her head.

"We are vampires," said Carlisle.

"Like Bree?"

"Yes, like Bree," confirmed Esme.

"So you are cold to touch – well I know you are, Esme, superhuman speed, superhuman strength and blood drinkers? But you guys only drink animal blood, right?"

"That about sums it up. We sparkle in the sunlight as well," stated Sam. Amelia blinked stupidly at her.

"Some of us have gifts as well. I can disguise myself as a human, which is why you didn't pick it up."

"I can see the future," said Alice.

"Jasper can control emotions and is also influenced by the emotions of the individuals around him. Edward can read minds, Renesmee can show you her thoughts and feelings with a simple touch, and Bella is a physical and mental shield, meaning that she can protect herself, and others, from certain cognitive gifts," explained Carlisle.

"The rest of us are normal, no gifts," smiled Rosalie.

"Except for being absolutely gorgeous and having an impeccable fashion sense," grinned Amelia.

"If I could blush right now, I would," laughed Rosalie, "you're not too bad looking yourself, Mia."

"Hey, what about my fashion sense, Amelia?" howled Alice. There was a beat of silence, then Amelia, Alice and Rosalie burst into laughter. Sam, Esme and Carlisle glanced at each other, and started laughing as well. Amelia started coughing which effectively ended the amusement.

When they had all recovered, Amelia spoke.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, I do appreciate it. If you had wanted to hurt me, you already would have done so, so I'm not scared or anything."

"There is a third option to your situation here, Amelia. If you would like, we can make you one of us when the time comes," said Carlisle, carefully. Amelia's head snapped up.

"I can be like you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes. You can be like us, but you will be free of your health problems. You will be able to breathe, actually you won't need to at all, and live a life that you have been denied due to your poor health." Esme's eyes shone and she smiled as she spoke to Amelia.

"The transformation is painful, and for the first year or so, it will be challenging. You'd have to be kept away from humans to avoid harming them," said Sam kindly.

"You'll never have children either," said Rosalie quietly.

"I'm not going to have children anyway, Rose," countered Amelia quietly, "even if I could, which is unlikely thanks to fifteen years and counting of ill-health and constant medication, the doctors reckon I have less than a year left without a transplant."

"September or October at the most," said Alice.

"Alice!" yelled Carlisle and Esme, now angry.

"Don't be angry with her, I want to know. There are things I still want to do, I don't want to sit around and wait to die, not knowing when it's going to happen," Amelia raised her voice slightly when she said that, suddenly a tiny bit annoyed at her parents.

"You didn't need to know that information just yet," said Esme, still angry.

"Yes I do need to know," countered Amelia, irritated. She took a deep breath and calmly spoke again. "With all due respect, Mrs Cullen, it is my health, heck it's my darn life on the line here, and I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be. I have spent my entire life not knowing what tomorrow might bring, having egotistical doctors think that they can boss me around. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being kept in the dark. I'm sick of people treating me like a porcelain doll. I am not some fragile, stupid person who needs to be protected from all the bad in the world, and thus I absolutely refuse to be treated as such. So thank you Alice, for telling me the truth. I appreciate it."

There was silence in the room. Amelia's words seemed to resonate with them.

"I'm sorry if these words have hurt anyone's feelings, but mine get hurt too every single time sometime tries to tiptoe around me. I'm tired of being treated like that." Her last words were shaky. She was hurt, and rather irked, and suddenly wondering if her decision to live with the Cullens was a good one. She caught Alice's eye, and shook her head imperceptibly. Alice winked in response, knowing that Amelia's future hadn't changed in spite of the errant thought that had run through her head.

"You've certainly given us a lot to think about," said Rose. Carlisle and Esme nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry if we hurt you, Amelia, we just wanted to protect you. You're also not a stupid human, you're an intelligent human being," said Esme earnestly. Amelia snorted in amusement, then opened her arms wide and Esme happily gave her a hug, so did Carlisle. All was forgiven.

"We should make a bucket list," suggested Alice brightly.

"I have one already, but I can't do a lot of the things on it anymore, so it requires some editing. Bree made me put one together," Amelia smiled wistfully at the memory, "Speaking of Bree, did you ever encounter her? I've always wondered what happened to her. She said she'd come back for me but she never did, and she always kept her promises."

"Yes Mia, we did encounter Bree," said Alice softly. Amelia knew by the tone of voice that something was amiss.

"She's gone, isn't she?" Amelia looked at Alice, tears welling in her eyes. Esme looked upset, head downcast.

"She hid for most of the fighting, surrendering immediately to Esme and myself when we found her. She explained that she had only come to the battle because she didn't want to be a monster that drank from humans, and she had heard that we survived on animal blood. The Volturi, who are the so-called royalty of the vampire world, sent four representatives across and they arrived just after the fight. Esme fought for Bree, but they killed her anyway. Her final thoughts were of you, Amelia. She begged Edward to take care of you, but she died before we could find out more than just your name. We assumed at first that you were another newborn vampire, but never came across you for obvious reasons," said Carlisle.

By the time he had finished, the tears were coming thick and fast. Amelia curled up into a foetal position and sobbed her heart out – for her best friend who would never again grace her life, for her friend who always had a smile, for her friend who always came to visit her in hospital, and for her friend whose final thoughts were of her. No one quite knew what to do - even Alice had not foreseen such a heart-breaking reaction.

"She's going to hyperventilate at this rate," muttered Carlisle, looking anxiously as Sam, "should we sedate her?"

"No, let her cry it out. She's been bottling it up for months. Leave her be."

"But what can we do to help her?" asked Esme worriedly.

"Sit down on the rocking chair," instructed Sam. Esme did as she was told. Sam then scooped Amelia up and wrapped her up in a blanket, then deposited Amelia into Esme's arms. Esme clung onto her daughter. Sam then ushered Carlisle, Alice and Rosalie out of the room and replaced the nasal cannula with an oxygen mask, then left herself to give mother and daughter some privacy. The others weren't too thrilled about being unceremoniously kicked out of Amelia's room, but one look from Sam silenced their protests.

"It's ok, hush little one, it's going to be alright," Esme soothed her daughter while rocking her gently. Amelia rested her head on Esme's shoulder as her cries eventually settled down, only to be replaced with heavy coughing. Esme could feel hot tears running down the side of her neck, creating a large wet patch on her blouse. Alice would probably freak but that was just too bad.

"Bree told me how to kill a vampire. So I'm guessing that's what happened to her," Amelia's voice was devoid of all emotion.

"Yes, sweetheart, it was."

"Will you take me there one day please? To where she died? I want to say goodbye."

"Ok. Maybe we can even engrave a stone and place it there for her."

Amelia nodded her head and sighed. "That would be nice, thank you."

They sat in silence for a little while. Sam flitted in and attached a feeding line to the tube protruding from her stomach and left some jelly and custard for her, as well as headache tablets. Esme stood up and carried Amelia to her bed and gently laid her in it. Taking a seat next to her, she opened up the jelly and handed it to Amelia. Amelia swapped the mask for the nasal cannula again.

"I miss red jelly," said Amelia as she tucked in to her green jelly and custard. It wobbled slightly.

"Do you want me to get you some?" queried Esme.

"You won't find any here. Red jelly is banned, because in cases like mine, they can't distinguish between the jelly and blood when we cough it back up."

"Well, makes sense I suppose."

"Yeah. Hey, Esme?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do I have to become a vampire?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"Ok. If I don't become a vampire, then what will happen?"

"We'll be with you every step of the way until you take your last breath, whenever that time may come. Have you decided if you want a transplant yet?"

"I'm tired of fighting this disease. I'm tired of being trapped in this sick body. And even if I do survive the transplant, assuming I actually get one, I'll never have the health I so badly want. My body is too sick, in my heart I know that I won't make it. I don't want to prolong the inevitable, suffer like that, nor do I wish to waste a perfectly good pair of lungs."

"So, no transplant then?"

"No. I had my name removed from the list this morning while you were out."

"Well, whichever you choose, mortality or immortality, you'll be able to breathe easy."

"Will you hate me if I choose mortality?"

"No sweetheart, I can never hate you. I'll miss you though, we all shall miss you greatly."

"Are you sure about adopting me? Like really, really, really sure? When I die, I don't want you to be too sad."

"Amelia, adopting you is the surest decision I have made in my existence, both mortal and immortal."

"You mean that?" Amelia yawned.

"With all my heart. Now get some rest, ok? I'll be back in the morning."

"Ok. Night Esme." Amelia snuggled into bed. Carlisle, Alice and Rose poked their heads around the door.

"Night Amelia," they chorused.

"Night guys," Amelia yawned back. They lingered for a few more minutes until Amelia fell asleep, then left the hospital, calling goodbye to Sam as they did.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're going to let her die?" exclaimed Alice once they had arrived at the car and gotten in.

"No, Alice, but should she choose not to become an immortal, we won't stop her," said Esme.

"Can you see anything yet, Ally?" asked Rosalie, stricken at the thought that she might lose her sister.

Alice was quiet for a moment. "Nothing at the moment, Rosie. She hasn't decided anything yet."

"I think we could all do with a quick hunt," said Carlisle.

"Agreed," said Rosalie, staring out the window.

Amelia woke about an hour later. The ward was quiet, many patients already asleep. She was not tired anymore, and her thoughts were churning. Bree, her darling best friend, was dead. Gone. She could picture hear as clear as anything - her laugh, her smile, her unconditional love. A tear streaked down her face and she wiped it away hastily. She wanted to join her friend, wherever she was. She didn't want to stay here on this earth anymore. Life had been unkind to her – she had lost her parents when she was young, she had been placed in some extremely abusive foster homes, and had now lost her best friend, her sister, on top of which she had been cursed with a chronic disease that was taking its time killing her. She sighed heavily.

What would Bree have thought? Bree loved life, in spite of her equally horrific upbringing. She had dreams and goals perhaps considered far beyond the reach of a girl raised in the foster system, but she always had hope. Bree had jumped at the opportunity to change her destiny, and it had gotten her killed. Bree wouldn't want her to waste her life like this. But Amelia was tired, tired of fighting, tired of this life. Death would bring peace, surely?

Amelia thought of the memories she had with her friend. Would her choice to die mean that she was failing her best friend? Bree had wished for a family just as much as she had, would her decision to stop fighting mean that she was letting Bree down?

Her head ached terribly. Her chest pain was manageable. She hoped that if she shut her eyes for just a second, she may get a moment's reprieve from the constant pain she was in.

* * *

*Dream*

 _Amelia walked in a field. The sun was shining overhead, warming her up. There were flowers everywhere. Spying a dandelion, she picked it up and blew it, making a wish._

 _"Mia!" a familiar voice called. Amelia spun around._

 _"Bree?" The two girls ran towards each other and embraced. Both were crying, so relieved to see each other again. They exchanged pleasantries, both girls emphasising how much they missed the other. The conversation soon turned serious._

 _"Mia, what has got you so afraid of living?"_

 _"Dying, Bree. I'm dying."_

 _"You don't have to, you can become like me - a vampire that is."_

 _"I'm scared."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"I'm scared that the Cullens only want me because I'm sick. I'm expendable. I'm going to live a couple more months, then I will die. If I do choose to become a vampire, what if they don't want me anymore after I have turned? What if I can't breathe and spend the rest of my life like this?"_

 _"That won't happen. They already love you to bits. Esme is heartbroken that you might choose to mortality. Furthermore, you will be able to breathe like a normal person would. In fact, we vampires don't need to breathe at all."_

 _"Esme feels guilty over your death. I think she blames herself."_

 _"Please tell her that I don't blame her one bit, and thank her for finding you for me. Help her ease that guilt, let her take care of you. She can't wait for you to get out of hospital so that she can mommy you."_

 _"Mommy me?"_

 _"Fuss around you like a mother hen. Mia, you have so much to live for. You have a bright future ahead of you as an immortal. You'll find that special someone, he's out there waiting for you. You have parents who love you, brothers and sisters who can't wait to meet you, an extended family that wants to be a part of your life. Don't give that up. Please, fight this. Do it for me. Oh, and when you are ready, Esme will probably explode with happiness if you call her Mom."_

 _"Oh Bree. I have missed you so much."_

 _"Me too, Mia, me too. But promise me you will do this?"_

 _"I promise."_

 _"You have to go now, Mia. Remember that I love you lots and lots like jelly tots."_

 _"And I love you such much, Bree. Will I see you again?"_

 _"Perhaps, perhaps not. Now go back, Mia. Farewell my friend."_

 _Mia blinked, and her best friend was gone._

*end of dream*

Amelia woke up with a start. Her headache had eased somewhat. Maybe immortality was a good thing. Spying the bear at the foot of her bed, she grabbed it and held it close. Smiling at the memory of Alice dancing with it, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Esme's phoned buzzed. Reaching up for her phone, which was located on the coffee table, she saw a text message from Samantha. Glancing at Alice, who was staring into space, smack in the middle of a vision, she opened it up. A picture of her sleeping daughter cuddling the giant Winnie the Pooh plush toy dominated her screen, accompanied by a short text message - _'Princess Amelia with her trusty security detail."_ Chuckling, Esme showed the picture to Carlisle and Rosalie. Alice, still in her vision, had begun to smile. She came out of it, grinning widely.

"Amelia is choosing immortality. She has a future. Oh Carlisle, she's going to study medicine, just like you! My goodness, she is so beautiful. Oh my word she is going to get married! I can't see who yet, but my baby sister is going to get married. Eek! She had better make me her bridesmaid. Oh, Samantha is part of her life as well. Ah, that's lovely." Alice was bouncing up and down in her seat.

Esme dropped the phone in shock. Carlisle's lightning-fast reflexes caught the phone before it landed on the floor. Her hands flew up to her face, her eyes filling up with tears. If she could have cried, she would have wept for joy. Instead, she found herself in Carlisle's arms. Her daughters were now jumping up and down in excitement, and soon they pulled them both up as well, all of them positively beside themselves with glee. A phone call to Jasper resulted in a similar explosion of delight back in Forks.

* * *

The next morning, Rosalie and Alice ran ahead to bid farewell to their baby sister. They had decided to return to Forks, but promised Amelia that they would see her when she arrived home. Alice was keen to start decorating, and Amelia had directed her to the group home where her things had been packed away. She had a rather extensive book collection – she actually owned more books than clothes – and was loathe parting with them.

"When I was at my loneliest, and at my sickest, those books were all I had," she had stated firmly. Rosalie promised that they would fetch her belongings, before kissing her cheek and leaving, with the promises of regular contact until they were reunited.

"How long might that be, Ally Cat?" teased Amelia.

"It's a surprise, my dearest little sister. Until then, focus on getting better, please. See you soon."

Ward rounds came and went, with Dr Anderson and Samantha pleased with Amelia's progress. Esme and Carlisle had both smiled happily in response to that. After the ward rounds, Carlisle and Dr Anderson walked to the conference venue. It was now Friday, and the last day of the conference.

"When do you think we can take Amelia home?"

"Assuming her health holds out, I'm hoping to let her out within the next two weeks. We managed to catch the fungal infection quickly so it has not damaged her lungs as badly as it could have, which is a relief."

"I'm delighted to hear that."

"It is good news, yes."

* * *

Esme and Amelia sat in Amelia's room, waiting for her physio to come. Esme was guiding her through some math homework. Physio was tiring for Amelia, but she pushed through it. Then it was time for breakfast. She downed a small tub of yoghurt, some fruit and some cereal, followed by another cup of tea and idle chatter. After Amelia's homework was complete, she and Esme commenced with the jigsaw puzzle that she had received the previous day.

"Bree doesn't blame you for what happened, Esme," stated Amelia some time later when the puzzle was about three-quarters complete.

Esme paused what she was doing and glanced at Amelia. "How do you know that?"

"I had a dream last night, and she was in it. We chatted a bit, and she asked me to pass on the message. Look, I know it sounds silly, but Bree is," she sighed sadly, " _was_ like a sister to me. I knew her well. She definitely would not want you to feel guilty over her death."

Esme nodded. "Did this dream perhaps have anything to do with our mini celebration around 10pm last night when Alice finally started seeing your future again?"

"Perhaps," she said slyly, "what mini celebration?"

"Let's just say there was a lot of dancing and jumping up and down like lunatics both here and in Washington."

Amelia shook her head in amusement. They continued with their puzzle for a little while longer.

"I know that in her final moments, Bree got a little glimpse of what it was like to have a mom to fight for her, and she appreciated the love you had for her, a stranger."

Esme looked touched. "I hope that one day, you might see me as a motherly figure of sorts," she said, embarrassed to say it out loud.

"Would it be wrong if I said that I already do?" Squealing like a small child, Esme gave her a hug.

"You're squeezing the life out of me, Esme!" Amelia exclaimed. Esme immediately loosened her grip.

"Too tight? Sorry!" she apologised profusely.

"Relax, Esme. I'm not used to this whole hugging business just yet."

"Get used to it, kiddo. At least when you're one of us, I'll be the one telling you to stop squeezing the life out of me for the first year or so." With that, Amelia was treated to, no surprises there, yet another hug.

"Help me, I think my adoptive family are hug monsters!"

"How tragic!" chuckled a familiar voice. Another pair of icy arms joined in the merriment.

"Not you as well, Carlisle!" exclaimed Amelia. The three of them laughed.

"Done for the day, love?" queried Esme, after they had disengaged themselves from their teenage daughter. They now sat on either side of Amelia, helping her complete her jigsaw puzzle.

"Yes, we are. I'm glad that's over though, it keeps me from spending time with the newest addition to our family."

Amelia glanced up from her puzzle and grinned at him. He winked in return, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. She looked down again, focussing on her puzzle.

"When are you guys going back to Washington?" she asked casually, fitting a puzzle piece into its allocated slot.

"When you get out of here." Esme was equally causal in her response.

"Really? What about the others?"

"With the exception of Jasper and Bella, they are all pushing 90 years of immortality. I reckon they are managing just fine," said Carlisle in amusement, "besides, Alice left our tickets open-ended so that we can return when we please."

"Cool beans." With that, she pressed the last piece into the puzzle. A knock on her door heralded the arrival of lunch.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN**

 **Unfortunately, the formatting does not allow for strikethroughs, so when reading the bucket list, please note that the underlined text is meant to be "crossed out" :)**

* * *

"Tell us all about her, Aunty Alice!" begged Renesmee. Alice and Rosalie had just arrived home. After a brief reunion, the family plus Jacob, Leah and Seth, retreated to the living room. Renesmee was sitting on Alice's lap on the sofa. Jasper sat next to Alice, and next to him were Bella and Edward. On the next sofa, sat Rose and Emmett. Across from them, sat Leah, Seth and Jacob. Alice glanced at Rosalie, who nodded in assent.

"She is really sweet, Nessie. I can see you two getting on very well. All of us will get on well with her. She is so eager to meet you all. You will have forever to get to know your new aunt a little better."

"What else?" This came from an enthusiastic Emmett.

"She likes reading and classical music. She hopes to one day further her violin playing skills and wants to study medicine. She loves stationery and Winnie-the-Pooh. She's not been in school for a while but takes online classes to keep up. She's from Seattle."

Nessie smiled happily, appeased. A brief, silent conversation appeared to go on between Edward and Alice. Edward nodded, and caught Jacob's eye, nodding down at Renesmee. Jacob caught the hint quickly.

"Hey Nessie, shall we go get you some breakfast now?"

"Ok Jakey."

"How sick is she, exactly?" queried Edward, as soon as the two of them were out of earshot. Alice and Rose both showed him the image of Amelia lying in ICU in their heads. _It was worse before we arrived, Edward._ Edward shuddered in horror.

"Hey, not fair! We want to know too!" exclaimed Emmett.

"She is very sick, Emmett," said Rosalie, "Alice reckons she will possibly make it to September, perhaps even October before she passes on. She sounds like a tractor when she tries to breathe, it is hard work and she is in a lot of pain. She can barely even wash her hair on her own. She apparently told Esme that it's hard trying to shower because she can't take her oxygen line with her, and she can't go for more than a few minutes at a time without it. Washing her hair is taxing, so Esme has been helping her with it. She has these horrible coughing fits which sometimes end with her throwing up."

"It's going to be a brutal and forgiving death. She is going to suffer," stated Alice sadly, replaying the vision she saw of her littlest sister dying in her head - Esme distraught with grief, Carlisle trying to hold her together whilst barely hanging on to his own emotions. A sharp intake of breath followed that, and she locked eyes with Edward.

"But you said that she has chosen to be like you?" said Leah, "has that now changed?"

"Not as yet, but it is going to be tricky to decide when exactly to turn her. Carlisle won't take away her mortality before it is necessary, but it is going to be hard for him to watch her suffer in the interim."

Leah nodded in understanding. Seth looked sad. Jasper, Edward and Emmett held their wives a little closer.

"How did she take the news about us being, well, us?" queried Bella.

"Her best friend was Bree Tanner," stated Rosalie.

"From Victoria's army? The girl who surrendered?" exclaimed Seth. Bella stiffened. Leah's face contorted. A sigh from the kitchen informed them that Jake was remembering that battle as well. After all, he had had half of the bones in his body crushed by a newborn. It was not an experience he hoped the ever be able to relive.

"The very one."

"So she's the Mia that Bree was referring to!" said Edward, relieved to finally have tracked down the girl, albeit unwittingly.

"Bree came to her after she was changed and explained what had happened to her. When the time came for the battle, Bree promised Amelia that she would come back for her. Obviously she never did, and Amelia did ask us about her. She put two and two together, Amelia knew what we were but obviously didn't want to intrude, and we had to break it to her that Bree was gone. Deep down she did know, but there was still that part of her that held out hope that her best friend was still with us. She didn't take it well. It took Esme and Samantha about half an hour to calm her down."

"Who's Samantha?" asked Jasper.

"Amelia's favourite nurse," replied Alice, "who happens to be a vampire as well. Her gift is the ability to disguise herself as human. She is very fond of Amelia. You guys will meet her soon enough, she'll come to visit Amelia quite a bit. Now, show us what you guys have done in Amelia's room while we were gone."

* * *

The weekend flew by for the Cullens. On Saturday morning, Rosalie, Bella, Alice, Renesmee and Leah had driven through to Seattle and brought some bed linen for Amelia, as well as towels, bath products and other necessities. They had also picked up Amelia's box of possessions from the group home. They went stationery and book shopping as well, and Alice had nagged them enough that they had gone clothes shopping as well in an attempt at shutting her up for a few minutes. Even Leah had not been spared the storm that is Alice and got some new clothes as well. Edward had left a list of CD's that he believed Amelia would like. It was a good thing that they had travelled in two cars, else all of the stuff they had bought would not have fit. Alice had not gone all out, because she knew that her little sister would prefer to accompany her.

On Sunday, Alice decided to tackle the bedroom itself once again. Being the smallest room of the house, not that it was by any means small, Alice had less space to work with than she would have liked. As it was on the top floor of the house, like Carlisle and Esme's room and Carlisle's study, the room had beautiful high vaulted ceilings. She was struck by a brilliant idea and spent most of the day exchanging ideas with Esme. She called the contractor afterwards, and on Monday, the last lot of renovations to Amelia's space commenced.

* * *

The weekend flew by for Amelia. When she wasn't sleeping, her parents were visiting her. It was a lovely time for her, in spite of being in hospital.

"How would you like to learn to drive?" queried Carlisle late Monday afternoon. He was sitting in the rocking chair next to her bed and Esme was sitting cross legged at the foot of her bed. Amelia was sitting up with her legs stretched out in front of her, legs crossed at the ankles and Winnie the Pooh in her lap.

"I haven't even got my learner's permit yet. Life got in the way, you could say. But I would like to, very much. It's on my bucket list," she said wryly. Carlisle put down a learner's manual down in front of her. Her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Thank you so much!"

"Your test is in three weeks' time. Do you think you'll be ready?" She nodded, smiled and started flipping through the book.

"May I see your bucket list, Amelia?" asked Esme hesitantly, unsure of how she would react. Amelia stiffened and hesitated for a second. Esme was about to tell her that it was ok and not to worry about it, when she put her book down and opened up the drawer in her side table. She pulled a very crumpled and well-folded piece of paper out.

"It's sort of a wish list as well. Please don't be upset or angry when you see some of the things I have written down," she whispered, stretching to hand it over to Esme. Carlisle frowned, and Esme hesitated. Amelia met her eye and nodded. "I wouldn't be handing it over to you if I didn't trust you. Carlisle, you might as well take a look too."

Carlisle came to stand next to her as Esme unfolded the piece of paper and scanned it, eyes shining with unshed tears by the end of the list. The list had been compiled over a couple of months, with some wishes being edited as her health failed. The last few on the list nearly broke Esme's unbeating heart.

 _Amelia Grace Theodore, age 13,'s bucket list (compiled with assistance from Bree Tanner, because she's cool like that):_

 _Read Anna Karenina_

 _Go to university_ _and study medicine and find a cure for CF_

 _Travel in an aeroplane_

 _Own a pretty dress_

 _Learn to walk in heels_

 _Learn to ice skate_

 _Master the violin_

 _Watch the entire Star Wars series_

 _Own a Scottish terrier (female, call her Jemima) and buy her a pink collar :)_

 _Learn more about Native American folklore_

 _Learn Latin_

 _Build a snowman_

 _Dance in the summer rain_

 _Learn to drive Get learner's permit_

 _Go outside_ _and feel the sun on my face_

 _Breathe_ _without pain_

 _Love someone, and be loved in return_

 _Go for a day without throwing up or feeling sick_

 _Finish_ _high school_ _tenth grade_

Esme looked up at Carlisle when she had read the list. Her hand covered her mouth and she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She looked to Amelia, but noticed she had disappeared. Both she and Carlisle had been so engrossed in reading the list that they failed to notice their daughter slip away. Before they could begin to wonder where she had gone, an agonising coughing fit echoed from the bathroom and the smell of active bleeding filled the air. Just as they were about to spring into action, the unmistakable sound of retching echoed from the bathroom.

Esme and Carlisle hightailed it into the bathroom. Carlisle held back her hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back and trying to locate the source of the bleeding, while Esme rubbed her shoulder and murmured "it's ok, sweetheart," again and again. Reaching up for the handle, Amelia wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet, then managed to twist around and collapsed with her back against the rim. Esme cradled the sobbing, shaking teen in her arms, softly kissing her on the forehead.

In her hurry to get to the bathroom, Amelia had ripped her IV line from her arm and it was bleeding profusely. The other IV line she had was in the form of a port, and she had had enough time to disconnect it before being sick. Carlisle was holding pressure on the wound. Samantha had arrived early for her shift, and smelling blood, had run into Amelia's room with gauze, cotton wool and medical tape.

"It's happened before, Carlisle," said Sam as she started to tape up the small wound, "the last time was worse because the port wasn't disconnected in time. It was a bloody mess, literally, all while the poor kid is puking her guts out on the floor because some genius gave her an emesis bowl and took away her ice cream container."

"I take it the emesis bowl is too small?"

"You could say that. Someone must have moved her 2 litre ice cream container somewhere, it's usually kept within reach."

"That would be my fault. Shucks. I moved it near the door earlier on today."

"Don't beat yourself up, Carlisle, although I think this little one's ego took a bit of a knock. She hates it when things like this happen." With that, Sam stuck down the last piece of tape and gently tapped Amelia on the nose, which usually elicited a smile from her. Not this time. She looked at Carlisle with a fearful look in her eyes and shrank back against Esme, face downcast.

"I'm not mad at you, sweetheart," said Carlisle kindly, stretching his hand out to lift up her chin up so that their eyes could meet, "I'm just so sorry that I moved your container away and you got hurt as a result. Will you forgive me?"

Amelia nodded slowly, watching him warily, still waiting for the cruel words to come, the abuse to start. She wasn't quite used to Carlisle yet, and when she got sick like this, she tended to get stuck in her memories. She wasn't quite with them, something which Sam quickly explained to them, quietly enough that Amelia did not hear their exchange. Carlisle and Sam then helped her up and let her brush her teeth, before Carlisle picked her up and carried her back to her room.

"I think someone could do with a cuddle," he said brightly, before depositing Amelia in Esme's lap in the rocking chair and reconnecting the port line. Amelia shifted in Esme's arms until her head rested in the crook of Esme's neck. Her shaking had finally stopped and she had stopped sobbing but still cried freely. Her bloodied and bruised right hand rested against Esme's chest, soothed by the coldness of her skin.

Sam came back in with a new IV kit. "We're going to have to resite the drip," she stated, "Mia, we are going to have to put it in your left hand this time, ok? I know it's going to bother you, but I promise it's just temporary. You'll be able to write again in no time." Amelia nodded and held out her left hand.

"You're a leftie?" asked Carlisle, who was taking care of her old drip. Again Amelia nodded. Sam put the tourniquet around Amelia's thin little arm and Amelia opened and closed her fist until a couple of veins popped up. Having disinfected the area with an alcohol swab, Sam opened up the packaging and quickly placed the IV, securing it and connecting it to the IV line and setting the correct rate.

Dr Anderson walked in just as Sam was finishing up, having been paged to assess the situation. Smiling at the sight of her young patient curled up in her mother's lap, she was then apprised of the situation. Thanking both Carlisle and Sam for taking care of the matter, she quickly examined Amelia and prescribed her some pain relief medication for the pain she was in. She and Carlisle had a quick discussion regarding equipment for Amelia's home care. Amelia was still content in her mother's arms and clung to her when Esme tried to stand up and take her back to bed.

"You need to eat something, ok _bella Mia_? Sam's got you some jelly again. Won't that be nice?" Amelia obligingly ate her jelly, wanting desperately to please Esme. She hated disappointing anyone, and she felt especially upset that she had been so ill like that in front of her adoptive parents. It was so embarrassing for her. Many a time, in her previous foster homes, she had been beaten or punished every time a slip up like that happened and the memories refused to fade. She was also embarrassed that she had shrunk away from Carlisle the way she had. He wasn't going to hurt her, was he? Sheer exhaustion overtook her body and she fell asleep she had time to dwell any further on that matter.


	13. Chapter 13

"Was she abused?" asked Carlisle of Ms Colgan, Amelia's social worker. He was on the phone with her as soon as they arrived home.

"She had some rough homes, yes. I suspect one or two of them may have been abusive. I asked her more than once about them, but she refused to say anything. I arranged for her to speak to a child psychologist but even she couldn't get anything from her. I asked the other children who stayed with those foster families if they had any abusive incidences with them, but they reported nothing, although one little boy remembers Amelia being hit repeatedly after she got sick on the floor of her bedroom. She was six at the time and made the boy promise not to tell anyone. I had those families removed from our care list. Amelia is sicker than most of the kids that get fostered, and in my experience, foster parents get frustrated far easier with those kids, but it's still not an excuse to abuse a child," sighed Ms Colgan unhappily.

"Thank you, Ms Colgan," said Carlisle, struggling to keep a lid on his emotions. For a generally calm and collected man with legendary control, he was pretty riled up. Esme put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Carlisle took a deep breath.

"The paperwork has arrived and is being processed as we speak. It might take longer than we thought because of the backlog, so I have put a rush on it because of Amelia's state of health. In the interim, you are officially her foster parents so she doesn't need to return to the group home when she gets back to Seattle. Please could you give me a call when you have her home?"

"I'll be in touch about that, right now we just want to bring her home. What about consent and the like? Should anything happen to her now, we still need to get hold of you for permission to proceed with surgery or similar, like last week, correct?"

"As of half an hour ago, both you and Mrs Cullen assumed full legal rights over Amelia. I also took a look at the ages of your other children – with all of them being over 18 now, except for Renesmee, they have been granted a degree of responsibility. Amelia's situation is unique, so I have afforded them the right to give consent in the event that you and Mrs Cullen are not able to be reached, with the understanding that you will be there as soon as possible to formalise consent. One Ms Samantha Jenkins was also added to that list, I believe she's Amelia's nurse."

"Thank you."

"I've made a note of this on the system so there shouldn't be any problems."

They chatted for a little while longer, before hanging up the phone.

"So do we confront her about the abuse, or hope that she tells us one day?" queried Esme.

"I really don't know. I don't want her to think that we are rethinking the adoption, but I also don't want her thinking we are mad at her for hiding this from us. I honestly think that she thought that I was going to hurt her after she got sick."

"Are you upset about that?"

"Definitely not. It's a natural reaction after extensive abuse."

"I hate to think that someone hurt our baby girl like that," cried Esme. Carlisle took his wife in his arms.

"I know just the thing to cheer Amelia up," he said with a smile.

* * *

A very unhappy-looking Amelia greeted them in the early hours of the morning. She looked like she hadn't slept much, and Samantha had confirmed their suspicions. Amelia's dreams had been filled with nightmares of her past. Samantha had gotten desperate enough to call Esme after the teen had awoken screaming for the third time. It was close on 4.30am and the exhaustion was etched on her face. Amelia generally shied away from affection, hugging only when given a hug, but this time she launched herself into Esme's arms with a strength that neither Esme nor Carlisle knew she possessed. Sam had made her some tea and now Esme was coaxing her into drinking it.

"I'm considering sedating her," said Samantha to Carlisle, "but the last time this happened, it only delayed the nightmares and we had to leave them to run their course."

"I'm going to assume this happened the last time she got violently sick like last night?"

"Yes. I suspect she has been abused, but she refuses to talk to anyone. Esme seems to have gotten through to her more than any of us, perhaps she would be willing to give it a bash?"

Esme nodded. She was suddenly struck with an idea.

"What if I told her about Charles?" she whispered. Carlisle grimaced as he thought of Esme's abusive husband from her human life. Samantha looked questioningly between the two and decided not to ask further, it was clearly a painful memory for both of them. Carlisle nodded. Samantha gave them some privacy.

* * *

"I'm going to tell you a story, Amelia, is that alright with you?" began Esme. She and Amelia were sitting on the sofa. Carlisle came back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He scooped up his daughter and sat in her place, bringing her easily into his lap as he did so. Amelia stiffened initially, then relaxed into him, an apology of sorts for the previous evening. He gently held her close to him with one arm, and his free hand found Esme's.

"About what?"

"My human life. It seems only right that gradually you learn about everyone's life stories. We'll start with mine, because mine is probably quite closely related to yours."

"Are you sure, Esme?"

"Yes sweetheart, I am sure. I was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1895. I grew up on a farm. When I was 16, I fell out of a tree," Amelia giggled quietly and Esme tapped her on the nose, smiling as well, "It does sound rather funny, doesn't it? Anyway, I broke my leg in the process, which is how I met Carlisle, for the first time, anyway."

"And I fell in love with her on the spot," chimed in Carlisle, looking at his wife affectionately.

"Were you already a vampire, Carlisle?"

"Yes I was, but that is a story for another day."

"Can I go on now, you two?" said Esme in mock exasperation. The two looked at each other, and giggled softly, then nodded.

"For the record, I too fell in love. Anyway, I didn't see Carlisle again for another ten years. So Carlisle fixed up my leg and then I went on my way. I wanted to study to be a school teacher but my parents wanted me to marry, so when I was 22, I married someone called Charles. He was mean, he was abusive. He raped me repeatedly, physically and emotionally abusing me on a daily basis. I was relieved when he was drafted to the army in the First World War; it meant that I didn't have to see him. Secretly, I hoped that he wouldn't return. He did eventually, and the cycle of abuse started up exactly where it had let off. It was 1919."

Amelia looked understandably upset. She stretched her right hand out, which stung as she did so, and took her mother's other hand in her own. The pain must have been evident on her face, because Esme started rubbing her thumb gently along the swollen and painful former drip site.

"I fell pregnant after one of his rapes. I couldn't allow my unborn child to be raised in that environment, so I left Charles, left Ohio and went to Wisconsin where I had a cousin. She let me stay with her, but Charles tracked me down. So I left again, and went to Ashland, pretending to be a war widow. I became a teacher, and then I had my little boy. He died when he was two days old from a lung fever of sorts. This was 1921. I threw myself off a cliff and Carlisle found me in the morgue, still alive, recognised me, and changed me. And here I am now."

"Oh Esme!" Amelia cried, devastated by her mother's tragic human life. She leaned forward and gave her mom a hug. "No one should have to go through that!"

"No sweetie, they shouldn't, which is why we need to know who hurt you." Amelia's eyes snapped up and the fear that lurked beneath their surface was evident.

"We know someone hurt you. We just want to know the truth. It won't make us love you any less, we won't want to give you back. All we want is to know what happened. We want to help. Oh, and you want to know something? We spoke to Ms Colgan last night. We are officially your foster parents now, although we both have been given full parental rights because of your illness and will be your adoptive parents as soon as the paperwork goes through," stated Carlisle. Amelia nodded, still crying.

"Please tell us. It might help make your nightmares go away," begged Esme. Amelia nodded and closed her eyes. She took a moment to compose herself, and snuggled deeper into Carlisle's arms. She kept her head down as she started to tell her story.

"It's nowhere near as bad as your story, Esme. My first foster home was lovely. The people were very kind from what I remember. I was three at the time and my parents had just died. I got put into hospital, and never went back. I'm not sure why. That was pretty much a summary of my childhood until I was ten. One of my foster homes, I forget which number it was, was not pleasant. I'd get beaten a lot. I think I was around 4, going on 5 years old at the time. When you're always coughing, it annoys people after a while. I'd wake my foster parents up at all hours with my coughing. They'd beat me, and punish me. They wouldn't give me my meds which was not fun, I got hospitalised with a bad infection and malnourishment in the end. It seemed like forever, but in reality it wasn't that long, only about three months. The next few homes were decent, nothing sticks out as being bad. When I was 6, I was placed at another abusive home. I remember I had just come out of hospital. As you have discovered, I throw up easily. I had a coughing spasm, threw up all over my bedroom floor and was beaten up for that one too. Those beatings were no worse than at the first home."

Amelia paused to cough and catch her breath. Carlisle gently rubbed her back while she did so. Her tone had taken on a strange sense of detachment. She had obviously spent many years trying to lock those memories away.

"Those beatings? Were there more than just those two homes?" asked Esme. Amelia nodded, her control slipped away and she started crying again. She buried her face in Carlisle's chest, sobbing. He disentangled his hand from Esme's and held his daughter close to him. Esme's eyes were bright with unshed tears. Carlisle took a deep breath, and asked the question that he really didn't want to have to ask.

"Amelia, did someone sexually abuse you?"

She stiffened in his arms again and cried harder. He felt, rather than saw, her nod. He was filled with rage. In spite of his non-violent nature, he wanted nothing more than to harm the people responsible for it. Her brothers would feel the same, of that he was certain. Esme was dry sobbing as well, unable to comprehend that someone could honestly do that to a child. She had experienced that brand of hell as well, but Amelia was a child, innocent and harmless. It was even more unforgivable in her books.

"Can you tell us what happened?"


	14. Chapter 14

An hour and a half later, an exhausted Amelia cried herself to sleep. Carlisle was busy finishing a phone call to Edward, Emmett and Jasper, who wanted nothing more than the addresses of the abusers so that they could deal with them. Rosalie and Alice were dry sobbing somewhere in the house. Bella was staring into space, trying to deal with the situation. Jacob and Nessie were at Bella's house, still sleeping.

After hanging up, Carlisle turned to Esme, who had not let go of her daughter for the past half hour. He stroked the top of his daughter's head. Their eyes met before a knock on the door interrupted their reverie. Dr Anderson kept ward rounds as brief as possible. Carlisle detailed his plan to help his daughter feel better, and surprisingly enough, Dr Anderson agreed. After a while, Amelia was put into her bed and Esme tucked her in. Alice had reassured them that Amelia would not wake up until around noon. They went home, and Carlisle placed a phone call to Amelia's social worker, who was horrified to hear just how much abuse she had endured in silence.

At around 11am, Carlisle and Esme returned to the hospital and sat in Amelia's room again. The nurses didn't even bat an eyelid anymore. In their opinion, their favourite patient had spent far too long without a single visitor and they were only too delighted to basically give Carlisle and Esme an all-access pass to the ward. Amelia awoke a little before 12 from a deep, dreamless sleep. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her and she was rather cheerful. She had not told them everything, just the basics. For now, it was enough. She'd tell them everything one day when she was ready to do so.

After heartily tucking in to some breakfast, Esme bundled her up into some warm clothing. Carlisle brought her a streaming cup of hot chocolate in a thermos flask. He disconnected her IV lines temporarily, and sat her in a wheelchair, much to her disgust. Carlisle told her it was a taxi service for the sick people. She glared at him. Carlisle then attached her nasal cannula to a portable oxygen unit and Esme stuck a beanie on her head.

"You look adorable!" she exclaimed, snapping a picture with her camera. Amelia was unimpressed.

"I look like a mini sumo wrestler!" she mock sulked, "Why all these layers for a simple walk around the hospital? Thank you, by the way, I'm looking very forward to getting out of the ward for a little while."

"It's cold in the corridors," said Carlisle with a smile as he began to push the wheelchair outside of her room. Esme walked alongside them, carrying the portable oxygen, which conveniently enough came with a shoulder bag.

Amelia was delighted to be out of the ward for once. She chatted animatedly while they walked along the corridors, almost as if the events of the morning had not occurred. She had finally told an adult, and with the love and support of her family, it was hoped that she could finally begin to heal. She grew suspicious as soon as they started approaching the exit.

"Why are we heading towards the exit? Are we going to do a u-turn in the waiting area or something?" she queried, confused.

"No, we are going outside," said Esme, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Cool, like a jail break? Reckon an alarm is going to go off? Can I call shotgun in the getaway car?" she joked.

"You'll have to sit in the back with Esme, my dear," retorted Carlisle.

"Hey! Why do I have to sit in the back?" exclaimed Esme, "You guys aren't fair!" The three of them snickered. They walked outside.

"Wait, I'm really going outside?" said Amelia in delight.

"Yip," said Carlisle.

It was a mild day and snow was falling very lightly. As soon as Carlisle brought her wheelchair to a halt, Amelia was out of it. Esme steadied her as she stood up and walked around a little bit. Carlisle and Esme sat down on a bench and watched as their daughter explored her surroundings, a look of wonder on her face. For four and a half months, Amelia had been cooped up indoors and cabin fever was getting the better of her. She was blissfully unaware that her parents were photographing her every movement.

Free from the confines of her hospital room at last, although it would not be for long, Amelia looked peaceful. She scooped up a pile of snow and made a small snowball which she juggled from hand to hand as she walked back to her parents, humming a tune that neither Carlisle nor Esme were familiar with. She held out her hand to Esme, and they linked arms while taking a short walk around the hospital garden. They walked in companionable silence, neither of them feeling a pressing need to break the silence. When they got back to Carlisle, Amelia sat down between them, face turned up towards the sky, eyes closed and a small smile on her face. She absent-mindedly started humming that same tune again, before opening the thermos of hot chocolate and drinking some.

"Would you like some?" she offered politely.

"No thanks, we can't drink it," said Esme kindly, "but thank you for the offer."

"I know, but it just feels so weird not offering you anything to drink," she replied bashfully. Both Esme and Carlisle laughed lightly in response. Amelia rested her head on Esme's shoulder, enjoying the fresh air, in spite of how cold it was. Esme lifted her arm up and brought it around Amelia, holding her close to her.

"Do you feel the cold?" asked Amelia after a while, curious.

"No, we don't," said Carlisle, "but in order to remain inconspicuous, we have to dress up like humans. Hence we are also wearing multiple layers."

Amelia nodded, then shivered.

"I think it's time to go back inside, Amelia," stated Esme.

"I know, but I really don't want to. I like being outside, I've missed it so much," she pouted, "five more minutes? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?"

"Think of it this way. The longer you stay outside, the more likely you are to get sick. If you get sick, you have to stay in hospital longer," said Carlisle sadly, although he really wanted to let his daughter stay out for longer. Amelia was in the wheelchair like a bullet.

"What's a girl got to do in order to get her taxi going?" she joked, "let's get moving, people!"

* * *

"So Amelia had a good afternoon," Esme told Dr Anderson at evening ward rounds, "you should have seen how much breakfast she packed away. We went for a little walk in the garden and she's been in good spirits ever since. I think just getting some fresh air had done her the world of good."

"I'm delighted to hear that, Mrs Cullen. We've been worried about her. She seems to have flourished these last couple of days since you have arrived. I had a mammoth task trying to redo all of her paperwork today, it seems that someone's got a new surname," she playfully tickled Amelia, "Murphy's Law that it had to be you, little madam."

Amelia giggled. "But of course, I do after all probably have the most amount of paperwork of all of your current patients."

"I think you have the most amount of paperwork of any patient I have ever had, my dear. Want to do the honours?" She held out a sticker, and Amelia's patient file.

"Theodore-Cullen, A.G.," Amelia read out loud, "Sweet."

"Right now, your official record still states 'Theodore', so for convenience sake Dr Cullen and I opted for that. It'll be easier for future hospitalisations."

"Of which there will be many more," sighed Amelia, sticking her new sticker on the patient file. She handed the file back to Dr Anderson.

"I'm not sure how this wound up in my office, but I believe that this is yours," she said, handing Amelia a blank music book.

"I was looking for it earlier, thanks Dr A. I've got this tune stuck in my head and want to put it onto paper before I forget it."

"You compose music, Amelia?" queried Esme in surprise.

"A little tune here and there," she replied, "my mom was a musician and she'd play a lot. I inherited her books and her violin, so I taught myself to read music and play. One of my foster dads helped me out and the internet was pretty useful too. I'm not that great though."

"Not that great?" snorted Dr Anderson, "She's brilliant. We had a patient about two months ago who lectured at Julliard. He and Amelia got talking, and he had one of his students bring in a left-handed violin so that he could hear her play. I believe his exact words were, 'my dear, I hope to see you at Julliard one day'. He described Amelia as one of the most talented students he had ever come across."

"Where is your violin now, Amelia?" asked Carlisle.

"It was at the home in Seattle, hopefully Alice has it now. Would you mind asking her for me when next you speak to her?"

"Not a problem."

Esme felt her phone vibrating. It was a text from Alice. ' _Violin safely in music room until renovations complete in Amelia's room. A x_ '

Samantha walked into the room grinning. "I overheard your conversation. Here's a recording of her playing," she said, handing them her cell phone.

"Samantha!" groaned Amelia, covering her face in her hands.

"You are so busted, Mia," she grinned, "but you still love me."

The sound of someone playing a violin echoed in the room. Both Carlisle and Esme recognised Mendelsohn.

"Is that the Violin Concerto in E minor?" asked Esme.

"Yes, the third movement."

They listened in silence to the rest of the piece. When the music ended, everyone stared at Amelia in awe. She blushed crimson.

"Guys, it's not that big a deal."

"That was beautiful," stated Carlisle.

"Thanks."

"See, was that so bad, Amelia?" asked Samantha, grinning at her.

"You are so dead, Jenkins," retorted Amelia, deadpan.


	15. Chapter 15

A week had passed since Amelia's first outdoor excursion. Carlisle and Emse had taken her out twice more. Their experiences with Amelia in that regard made them appreciate the ability to be outside at their own free will even more. Sometimes she would walk around the hospital garden with Carlisle or Esme, sometimes she'd just sit down and appreciate the fresh air that surrounded her. She picked up a little bit of weight, and started eating a little more each day.

The coughing fits remained violent, but the latest lab results showed that the fungal infection had all but disappeared from her lungs. She'd have to be careful, but living with a coven of vampires had some perks – she was unlikely to get a bug from them. Her lung function had increased to 28%, though it was unlikely to reach 30% and everyone was okay with that. On Wednesday evening, Dr Anderson had some news for the Cullen family.

"So Amelia, tonight is your last night with us," she informed the teen. Amelia dropped her pencil in shock. She had been busy composing the little tune that was stuck in her head, adding a little bit here and there. She gaped at Dr Anderson for a little while longer.

"You're kidding me, right?" was all she managed, when she finally had the words to speak.

"No my dear, I am most definitely not," she replied, smiling tenderly at her young patient.

"Surprise!" hollered Sam as she walked in to the room, carrying a cake with 'We will miss you' iced on it. The rest of the night nursing staff followed her. Amelia started laughing in excitement, clapping her hands in glee. Each of the staff members came to give her a hug, before cutting the cake.

Carlisle and Esme stood to the side, watching their daughter interacting animatedly with the staff members that had grown to know her over the course of her lengthy hospital stay. As night staff, they knew her the best – her quirks, her ups and downs, her weird little habits, and her generally cheerful demeanour no matter how little sleep she had had.

They were the ones who listened night after night to her ragged breathing, the ones who checked up on her when they were worried, the ones who pulled strings at 3am for a theatre when she was sick, the ones who calmed her down after a nightmare, and dried her eyes when the reality of her declining health hit her with meteor-like strength. They had grown to be her family when she had no one, and kept her spirits up. Their youngest patient was leaving, and they knew in their hearts that she wasn't coming back.

The little party disbanded quickly, with the promise of goodbye hugs in the morning before she was discharged for the first, and sadly last, time from their care. Afterwards, Amelia started gathering her things, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"What's bothering you, sweetheart?" asked Carlisle. Esme looked up from where she was folding Amelia's dressing gown. A single tear rolled down Amelia's cheek. Carlisle crossed the room at vampire speed and held open his arms. His newest daughter stepped into them willingly.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to be out of here," she began.

"You're going to miss everyone?" guessed Carlisle.

"They were the family I never had for the last four and a half months. They were there when I had no one. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to the people whom I have grown so fond of."

"They care about you too, sweetheart. They are going to miss you greatly. I've been told several times what a delightful patient you have been," said Esme gently. Amelia nodded then pulled herself together. Carlisle let her go, and she sat down on her bed.

"Shall we finish packing for you?" queried Esme.

"It's ok, you don't have to do that."

"At vampire speed, it'll take about a minute."

Amelia sighed, then nodded. Esme wasn't joking. Her belongings sat in a small suitcase in less than three minutes. Clothes for the next day had been left out. All that remained to be packed were her toiletries, which were to be added the next day.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow, and the next couple of days?" queried Amelia, after thanking her parents for making her life easier.

"You'll be discharged at around 9am and then we can do whatever you feel like for the day. Our flight leaves at 8am on Friday morning, so we need to be there by 7am latest. I'm hoping to be there by around 6.30am because we will board before everyone else. It's a 7 hour direct flight, so we will land at noon in Seattle and drive to Forks. Saturday and Sunday we will play by ear, and on Monday, you will start school again," said Carlisle.

"I'm going to fly to Washington?" exclaimed Amelia in delight.

"You are indeed," replied Esme, smiling affectionately at her daughter.

"Awesome!"

* * *

Alice and Renesmee were busy stocking Amelia's bathroom with supplies. Alice had decided on a purple colour theme for Amelia's room. Purple curtains hung in her room. Her new bedspread was white with purple flowers embroidered on it and she had matching scatter cushions. Alice had continued with the purple theme by incorporating lavender into her bathroom. She was quite pleased with her handiwork. After hanging up the new towels in Amelia's bathroom, purple of course, Alice skipped out to admire the main bedroom once again. Her wave of inspiration the previous weekend had paid off, and she foresaw her newest sister loving it.

Emmett and Jasper walked into Amelia's room, carrying the medical equipment that Carlisle had ordered. A twenty metre long oxygen line was not going to get Amelia very far in the mansion that was the Cullen household, especially considering that Amelia's room was in the topmost, furthermost corner of the house. It may not have been the most practical room for Amelia as a human, but Alice was thinking of the bigger picture, in other words, immortality. And for the sake of any human that may enter their house, her bedroom was right next to her parents' room so that they might hear her should she need them in the middle of the night. Carlisle's office was also on that floor, located on the other side of the master bedroom.

Thanking them, Alice took care of the equipment, heaven forbid Emmett put the oxygen concentrator in the wrong place. On the middle floor, Edward was doing something similar. Each floor had its own oxygen concentrator so that Amelia could walk around whichever floor she pleased. Edward's bedroom was now a music room and Renesmee's favourite place in the whole house, excluding any room that her grandmother was standing in. A small, upright piano stood in the corner. Sheet music was arranged alphabetically, according to composer, along one wall. There were a few music stands in the corner. Amelia's violin lay in one of the other corners. Alice had yet to move it up to her bedroom.

Alice and Jasper's room stood next to it, Rosalie and Emmett's on the other side. Downstairs, the lounge and TV room each received their own concentrators. Leah and Seth had reorganised the spacious kitchen to accommodate the mini pharmacy that kept Amelia alive. Carlisle had already sent the two page long script of Amelia's medication to the hospital pharmacy. The poor pharmacist had nearly fainted when he saw just how much medication Amelia required and ordered it in from Seattle.

When Edward had gone to fetch them, the pharmacist had presented him with a pill organiser and explained the benefits of it. With perfect memory recall, it seemed a waste in a house full of vampires, but to humour the pharmacist, who proceeded to launch into a long speech about the importance of taking the medication timeously, he accepted it gratefully, and even asked for a spare for his school-going sister. According to Alice, Amelia was going to be thankful for it when she started school again. Bella had then organised the medication in the order in which it needed to be taken – some of Amelia's meds were restricted to the morning, some afternoons, dinner-time or bedtime, and some more than once per day. She had then made use of the pill box, decanting the correct medications into the appropriate box, and then placing it in the cupboard until Amelia arrived.

At last, the house was ready for its newest occupant, now all they had to do was wait for her to arrive.


	16. Chapter 16

"Goodbye Mia, we are going to miss you so much," said Samantha as she hugged the sick teen. It was change of shift, and Samantha, along with the other night staff nurses, were heading home. Amelia had slept soundly the night before in spite of her excitement at finally leaving hospital. Soundly, as in you could have ripped a chainsaw to life in her room and she wouldn't have stirred.

"I'll miss you too, Sammy. Please keep in touch," responded Amelia, hugging her back with equal force.

"Don't worry, kiddo, you aren't rid of me just yet. We have forever after all." The last part was whispered. Amelia grinned happily.

Carlisle and Esme arrived just as the day staff took over and they too had a small celebration with Amelia. She was considerably less tearful, but emotions were running high all round. At 9.45am, Esme helped Amelia get dressed into some outdoor clothes.

"No more hospital gowns for you, Mia," said Dr Anderson as she walked into the room at 10am carrying two files.

"Yay!" Amelia and Esme cheered. It was difficult to decipher whom of the two were more excited to be leaving – Amelia, because she was finally leaving the hospital after four and a half long months and was going home to a family at last, or Esme, because her newest daughter was one step closer to living with them. Carlisle smiled at his two girls, happy because the love of his life was happy.

"Smile!" called Esme, snapping away photographs of her daughter and the woman responsible for keeping her daughter alive for the duration of her hospitalisation. Both obligingly smiled.

"It was an honour getting to know you, Mia," began Dr Anderson, "I wish you only the best for your future. Please do keep in touch. I believe you're starting school again on Monday?"

"That's the plan at the moment. We'll see how it goes. I'd like to get as far as I can. Thank you for everything, Dr A. These last few months were as good as they could be, all factors considered," Amelia replied.

"Are you excited to be going back?"

"Mixed feelings. I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up with everyone else."

"There's a doctor's letter in your file," Dr Anderson handed one of the files over to Carlisle, "excusing you from gym class for the rest of your schooling. I've already spoken to the school administration and explained, but you will need to hand it in anyway so that it goes on record."

"You duplicated my file?" queried Amelia in amusement.

"I kid you not, it felt like it took half a century to copy. I had my son do it, it kept him out of trouble for a few hours, though I could have cheerfully murdered him with his whining while he was doing it. He's like an old woman, I swear."

"Please thank Michael for me," said Amelia, laughing.

"Thank you for this," said Carlisle sincerely.

"You're welcome, Dr Cullen. So Mia, what do you say we get you out of here?"

* * *

The Cullen trio left the hospital. Had she been able to, Amelia would have surely skipped to the exit. At human speed, it took a while to get Amelia settled into the car, but soon enough they were on their way.

"What do you want for lunch?" asked Esme, after hearing her daughter's stomach grumble.

"Anything that is not hospital food. Preferably something greasy. The more carbs and fat, the better. As artery-clogging as possible, please."

"McDonalds it is," decided Carlisle, silencing Esme's almost exclamation of protest with a look. Esme huffed, unimpressed that her daughter's first meal out of hospital was junk food. She'd hoped for someplace a little fancier, a cute little coffee shop or something. She glanced at her husband, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. She shot him a glare and he blew her a kiss in response.

"Sounds amazing," replied Amelia enthusiastically.

"Drive through or sit down?" Esme asked, resigned to the fact that her daughter wanted something as uncivilised as a Happy Meal composed entirely of chicken nuggets and French fries.

"Drive through, please," she replied absently as she coughed, "Hey, seen my meds anywhere?"

"Which ones?" queried Carlisle.

"The Creons – my mealtime ones. The delightfully disgusting tasting ones specifically for digestion and nutrient absorption, revolutionary really," came the response, her voice imitating a pharmaceutical rep who had once come to visit and convince her to change her medication regime. He had unceremoniously been booted out of her room by the pissed off, sickly teenager and her equally annoyed doctor, "if that was revolutionary, then I'm going to live to one hundred."

"Don't be mean, Amelia," chided Esme gently, resisting the urge to laugh at her, "he was just doing his job. Besides, you will live well beyond one hundred."

"As a human, that is most definitely not going to happen. And I was just doing mine," she replied without missing a beat.

"Which was?"

"Throwing up all over his shoes. I must admit, that was an excellent sales rep removal technique, I really must try it again. Ten point to Mia."

Carlisle was howling with laughter. Esme tried to look disapproving and failed miserably, giving in to the laughter that was threatening to bubble up to the surface. Amelia smiled as well.

"Seriously though, guys, where are my meds?"

* * *

"You're coming home tomorrow, Grandma!" squealed Renesmee into the phone, "I can't wait! And you're bringing my new auntie with you, hey? I really can't wait to meet her!" It was evening and Esme had just come down from helping Amelia wash her hair.

"Yes, Nessie love, we are coming home. I'm looking very forward to seeing you again. We'll be home at around 3pm tomorrow. Yes, your aunt Amelia will be coming home with us."

"Yay! Oh, Aunty Ali wants to talk to you. Love you Grandma, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ok sweetheart. Love you too angel, see you tomorrow," replied Esme, smiling.

"Hey Esme, so Rose and I drove Carlisle's car to the airport. It's in the domestic flights parkade, on the first floor, in the disabled parking bays. I've left the parking ticket in the cubby hole. There's back up oxygen in the trunk, you won't run out but it'll give you both peace of mind. The car keys are in the cookie jar on the kitchen counter, I put them there just before Rose and I left. Drive safely, ok? Tell Carlisle to drive like a human being, you do after all have extremely precious human cargo with you."

"Thanks Alice, Carlisle's just found the keys," said Esme, as Carlisle held up the keys with a flourish, "do you think it will be a peaceful flight? I'm worried about subjecting Amelia to seven hours of flying."

"I don't see any problems. She's going to stay awake for most of the flight, although she'll fall asleep during the last hour or so. She's also going to sleep during the drive from Seattle until about 15 minutes outside of Forks."

"But what if something happens?"

"Aeroplanes are equipped with oxygen masks. Esme, everything is going to be ok, I promise."

"Ok," Esme sighed, "how is everything going on that side?"

"Just fine and dandy. Everything is ready, we just need Amelia now."

"All of her meds there?"

"Yes, Esme. Your cooking books have been relocated until further notice, that cupboard is now Amelia's. The pharmacist just about had a coronary when he saw the prescription, so we now own two pill organisers. Bella took care of that, it's sitting at the kitchen table now."

"Have we got the nebulisers, oxygen –"

"Esme!" exclaimed Alice, exasperated. "We have got everything, I promise you. Now go and tuck my little sister in bed, then go and hunt. We will see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Goodbye Alice."

"Cheers, Esme."

They disconnected, and Esme walked back up the stairs to Amelia. Carlisle had gone out for a hunt, and when he returned, Esme would go as well. Seven hours in a stuffy, cramped flying machine full of humans was not the easiest of tasks. She walked into the room that Amelia was occupying for the night. Amelia was combing her hair out.

"Having fun?" queried Esme, eyes twinkling. She took the comb from Amelia.

"Something like that," she responded with a sigh.

"What's bothering you?" she asked as she finished off combing her daughter's hair.

"I guess I'm a little anxious about tomorrow. Alice and Rose are nice, but what if the others don't like me?"

Esme's hands stilled. She put down the comb and walked to sit next to Amelia. Taking Amelia's face in her hands, she gently lifted it up so that their gazes met.

"Everything will be fine, I promise you. Everyone is going to love you. And if they have any problems for whatever insane reason, they can sort it out with Carlisle and me." Amelia still looked worried.

"Nessie double checked with me that you were coming home tomorrow. She cannot wait to meet you. Emmett can't wait either, he keeps bugging Rose about it. They have all contributed to your new room in some way or another, be it decorating, shopping or painting, or reorganising the kitchen cupboards for me so that we can keep your meds together. Apparently the pharmacist nearly had a heart attack when he saw the list of meds."

Amelia giggled. "It's an occupational hazard of being chronically ill. I make grown men quake in their shoes."

"Get some sleep, sweetheart. You have an early morning tomorrow."

"What is the schedule like for tomorrow morning?" queried Amelia as she climbed into bed. Esme sat down next to her.

"We'll get you up at around 4am for physio, then at 4.30, I'll have some tea ready and we'll get you dressed. Breakfast time is around 5am if you are hungry, then we will finish packing the car and take care of last minute details. We aim to be at the airport by 6am to hand the car back to the rental company, and check in. We will board earlier than everyone else, but we should have time to grab some breakfast for you if you don't eat. The last thing we need is a mid-flight hypoglycaemic incident."

"That would not be ideal. Ok, I'll snack around 5am but nothing too major and eat at the airport when the worst of the coughing is over. Are we ok for oxygen and stuff?"

"Yes, the airline staff will switch you over to their own oxygen concentrator, so we will be ok for the drive back to Forks. We do have an extra concentrator in the car in case, but Alice says that we will be fine."

Amelia nodded. "I'm going in an aeroplane tomorrow," she said, smiling.

"Yes you are," said Carlisle, walking in to the room.

"Did you catch a grizzly?" asked Amelia enthusiastically.

"Sadly not, there are no grizzlies in the state of New York. Plenty of deer though."

"Aww, sorry about the grizzly. Darn herbivores. Esme, your turn now. Let me not keep you from your dinner," Amelia joked, "night guys. See you before sparrow's fart."

Esme and Carlisle chuckled and bid goodnight to their daughter. Esme tucked her in, and both of her parents kissed her forehead, before turning off the light and shutting the door behind them.


	17. Chapter 17

"Amelia, it's time to wake up," came Esme's voice. Amelia groaned in response, trying to swat the noise away. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. She vaguely heard Carlisle's chuckle somewhere in her room, then felt the covers being removed and an icy hand being placed on her stomach, tickling her. Squealing loudly, she sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. Her parents burst into laughter.

"Good morning," chortled Carlisle, "time for physio."

Amelia was still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "May I have a human minute, please?" she yawned.

"Sure thing."

Two minutes later she was back in her room, having the living daylight beaten out of her lungs. Oh the joys of chest physiotherapy. When that torture was over, Esme brought her a cup of tea and a rusk. They had already decided on an outfit for the next day, so getting dressed did not take that long, aside from the slight incident involving a tangled oxygen line and a fair amount of laughter. Carlisle eventually poked his head around the door.

"Did a pack of hyenas take up residence in here, or is this what the flight home is going to be like?"

Esme and Amelia looked at him, looked back at each other and erupted into a fresh fit of giggles, ending with one of Amelia's 'post physio coughing fits', as they had begun to refer to them as.

"I'm fine, guys," she said when it was over. Esme didn't look entirely convinced.

"Put your shoes on, sweetheart," she said, handing Amelia her shoes.

* * *

"Ready to go?" queried Esme.

The anxiety that had lurked the previous day came back and Amelia took a deep breath, well, as deep as she could. She nodded and smiled unconvincingly. Carlisle picked her up and carried her out to the car. Fresh snow had fallen overnight and he was worried that she may slip. He also needed her to conserve as much of her energy as possible, it was going to be a long day for her. When she was comfortably seated, he got into the front seat. Esme locked up the house and soon they were on their way.

"You guys move really quickly," she commented as she stared outside the window. It was still pitch black outside, "will I move that fast too?"

"Yes, you will. For about a year after you have been changed, you'll actually be the fastest in the family," replied Carlisle.

"Family," she whispered dreamily, a small smile forming on her face. Carlisle and Esme glanced in the rearview mirror, then at each other and smiled. Carlisle reached across the console and took Esme's hand in his own, squeezing it gently as he did so. They drove like that for the rest of the trip to the airport. When they finally arrived, the staff of the car rental agency was waiting for them. Alice had taken the liberty of phoning ahead and explaining the situation to them. A wheelchair was waiting for Amelia, much to her disgust, but she was bundled into it despite her protesting.

* * *

The trio walked to the check in counter. Alice had phoned the airline as well, so they were aware of Amelia's situation and explained that one of the flight crew members would come and switch oxygen concentrators for the flight at 7.15am and they would board immediately thereafter, instead of 7.30am like the rest of the passengers. It was then requested that they be seated as close to the boarding gate as possible so as to avoid confusion and delays. The Cullens thanked him, and left to go through the security check-point. It took a little while longer than usual because of Amelia, but soon enough they were on their way.

"So where do you want to eat, Amelia? And please don't ask for something greasy and artery-clogging again," begged Esme as they arrived at the food court.

"Ugh, gross. Not for breakfast. I'm not much of a fast food eater, Esme, but yesterday I just really craved fast food. It won't happen for a while, I promise," replied Amelia.

"Good, because all that junk food is bad for you."

"Yeah, but it's better than going hungry," she said, referring to a conversation that they had had the previous week, "which of these places do you recommend? I'm a tad on the peckish side."

"How about that coffee shop over there?" said Esme, pointing to a little café that was less busy than the restaurants that dominated the food court. For this early on a Friday morning, the airport was rather full. Amelia glanced at the café, and agreed. People had begun to stare at her and it was making her uncomfortable. She hid behind a menu as soon they were seated at a booth, ditching the wheel chair as soon as possible. Admittedly, she was grateful, the airport was massive and she knew that as much as she hated to admit it, she would not have coped with the long walk from the car rental agency to where they were currently seated.

"I'll have a glass of water, and the Sunrise Special please," she said, when the waitron came to take their order.

"Anything for you?" asked the waitron of Carlisle and Esme, as she wrote down Amelia's order.

"No thank you, we ate just before we left home. Little madam over here didn't," said Carlisle, playfully tapping Amelia's shoulder with the menu.

"It was either this, or understanding exactly how Mr Pharmaceutical-Sales-Rep felt when I-"

"We get the picture," broke in Esme, handing back the menus to the waitron and giving her daughter the raised eyebrow treatment.

"Yes Mom," she said, chastened, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out like a child.

Esme froze and Carlisle looked up from where he was typing out a text message to Edward. Realising that all eyes were on her, she blushed.

"I'm sorry, Esme, it slipped out," she said, eyes downcast, "I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"It's alright. It's more than alright actually. You may call me Mom anytime," Esme's eyes shone brightly with unshed tears, her face breaking out into one of the biggest smiles Carlisle had ever witnessed on his wife's face, "I was kind of hoping you'd call me that one day, but figured you wouldn't because none of the others do."

Internally, Esme was dancing and a large part of her brain was squealing 'She called me Mom! She called me Mom!' repeatedly. Had Edward been there, he'd surely be moaning at her. Amelia smiled shyly. Carlisle snaked an arm around Esme's shoulders, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Amelia's breakfast arrived soon after, and she dug in heartily to her toast and eggs. As soon as she was done, Carlisle got Amelia seated in the wheelchair and Esme went to settle the bill. They walked to the gate, which was, unsurprisingly, located somewhat far away from the café, and sat down.

* * *

Unfortunately for Amelia, the airport lounge had gotten busier, and she was garnering a lot of attention. Being 15 years old and oxygen dependent certainly made people take a second glance for different reasons to her parents, who sat on either side of her looking like supermodels. The people sitting opposite her were especially bad, openly staring at her. She was moments away from tears. She excused herself and walked to the bathroom, which was mercifully close to where she was sitting. She could feel her parents watching her closely.

Afterwards, she stared at herself in the mirror. She was paler than her parents, almost grey in complexion. Her lips were blue, which didn't help. She had dark purple bags under her eyes and was painfully thin. She suddenly saw herself in other people's eyes, and she really did not like what she saw. Tears blurred her vision, and she furiously wiped them away, annoyed.

"My baby sister had CF too," said a random woman who happened to be in the bathroom at the same time.

"How did you know I have CF?"

"You look just like she did. Hang in there, it's going to be alright."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"She's in a better place now. She was 25 when she left us, and she lived life to its fullest while she was alive. How old are you, if you don't mind my asking? Are you going the transplant route? She took her name off the list in the end, she said she was tired of fighting it."

"No, I took my name off the list two weeks ago. I'm 15, I'll be 16 next month. We reckon I have until about October, so I just want to finish sophomore year at this point."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Shall we get you back to your parents? They're going to start worrying, they've just been telling off that awful couple who kept staring at you."

The two of them walked back to Carlisle and Esme, arms linked. After depositing Amelia between her parents, they said their goodbyes. Esme squeezed her hand and winked at her. Thankfully the couple that had been staring at her were gone.

"I hope they don't sit next to us," commented Amelia.

"They definitely won't. They're flying economy class," said Carlisle breezily, turning the page in some medical journal he was reading.

"We aren't?" queried Amelia.

"Nope. Business class for us. More privacy," said Carlisle.

"More importantly, more leg room," chimed in Esme.

"Oh. Do you always fly business class?"

"It depends on the length of the flight, when we booked, what seating options there are, et cetera, but we generally fly business class or first class. It's not like we can't afford it. And we earn voyager miles when we fly as well, so we get discounts. It's hard enough flying surrounded by humans, in business class it is generally easier for us to bear," said Carlisle, half whispering.

"That makes sense," nodded Amelia.

Just then, one of the flight attendants came with the oxygen concentrator for Amelia to use on board the plane, greeting them as she did.

"You must be Amelia, right?" she asked kindly as she switched oxygen sources for Amelia.

"Yes, I am, Megan," replied Amelia, observing the name tag that the flight attendant wore.

"We're going to get you on the plane now, ok? Is this your first time flying?"

"In an aeroplane, yes. I've been in a helicopter before. I've been advised that chewing gum is a good idea for helping with the whole ear popping thing when you gain altitude."

"Ah awesome. I've never been in a helicopter before, but I've been told it's quite cool. It is a good idea, yes. In my experience, it works better than sucking a hard boiled sweet," said Megan as she finished the switch, "Alrightio, are you breathing ok?" Amelia nodded.

"Great stuff. Mr and Mrs Cullen, are you ready to board?"

"Yes we are," said Esme, gathering their bags. An announcement was made for any passengers who needed assistance for their particular flight. As it happened, they were the only ones. Amelia was on the plane in no time at all and being settled in the first row of the aircraft. She had been given the window seat. She was quite excited. Carlisle and Esme helped her settle in, and Megan came to supervise.

"I need to help with the boarding of the other passengers now, but shout if you need anything, ok?" said Megan.

"We will, thank you," replied Carlisle.

The other passengers began to board the plane, some of them barely glancing at Amelia. The kind lady from earlier walked past them, winking at Amelia as she did. Some of the passengers did stare, so Esme distracted her by pulling out the menu for the in-flight meal, while Carlisle glared back at them, challenging them to say something.

Soon enough, everyone was seated, and after the safety demonstrations, the plane taxied out to the runway. As soon as the plane started moving, Amelia grabbed Esme's hand and held on tight. She chewed frantically as the plane lifted off and gained altitude, her breathing rhythm changing. Her ears were aching. Her chest hurt and it felt like her lungs were not getting in enough oxygen.

"Deep breaths, Amelia," said Esme as she lifted Amelia's arms up above her head, "as soon as we level out, I'll have Megan get you something with caffeine in it, ok?"

Amelia nodded, trying to focus on her breathing. Easier said than done. Soon enough, the plane reached cruising altitude and levelled out. Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, gone was the pressure on her lungs exerted by the climbing aeroplane. She could hear a few children crying, she was somewhat relieved to see that she was not the only one struggling with the ascent. Esme lifted up the arm rest and pulled Amelia into her arms. She hated seeing her daughter in discomfort.

Megan came to check on them, and left, returning almost immediately with some Pepsi for Amelia. It was a sure-fire way to get some caffeine in her system whilst avoiding coffee, which Amelia detested.

After a while, breakfast was served, which Amelia dug into. She and Esme did a few crossword puzzles together, and eventually settled down to watch a film. They had chosen to watch the animated film, Cars. In the scene where Mater and Lightening McQueen went 'cow tipping', Amelia giggled and compared the noises to her breathing. Carlisle tried to convince her otherwise, but she insisted she sounded like a tractor when she did breathe, and rationalised that her breathing was even louder to them. True to Alice's vision, Amelia fell asleep with her head on her mother's shoulder shortly before the 6 hour mark.

"She looks so peaceful," remarked Carlisle, glancing at his daughter.

"She does, doesn't she?" replied Esme, listening to her daughter's ragged breathing, "every time her breathing rhythm changes, I worry."

"It's ok to be concerned, Es. But I'd be worried if there was silence instead of our little tractor over here."

Esme shuddered at the thought. Megan brought them a blanket, which Esme carefully covered Amelia with, careful not to jostle her. As the plane began its descent an hour later, Esme woke Amelia up. She was confused for a few seconds, but then the descent pressure kicked in and hurt her all over again. Finally, the plane touched down in Washington and Amelia found it easier to breathe again. As the aeroplane slowed down and began cruising towards the gate, she relaxed and stared out the window. Once they had reached the gate, the doors were opened and the other passengers began to disembark. Esme used it as an opportunity to gather everything together and ensure that nothing was left behind. Megan came up and swopped the oxygen concentrator back to Amelia's old one.

"The wheelchair is on its way," she said.

"Do you feel up to walking?" asked Carlisle when the plane had emptied.

"I'll give it a try. I'm stiff after sitting for 7 hours straight."

Thanking Megan for her help and cancelling the wheelchair, the Cullen trio walked slowly off the plane. By the time they had finally made their way to the luggage carousel, someone had helpfully stacked their suitcases on a trolley. Amelia had sat down on a bench nearby. Realising how much Amelia hated wheelchairs, but also realising that she was simply not going to manage the long walk to the car, Carlisle grabbed a second trolley and put Esme's suitcase and all of their hand luggage on to it.

"Your chariot awaits, milady," he said, bowing as he did so. His daughter looked at him incredulously, snorting.

"Either that, or a wheelchair. I could piggy back you if you really wanted."

"Giddy up pony," she said as she climbed on top of the suitcases and grabbed onto the metal sides. Rolling her eyes in amusement, Esme picked up the concentrator and put that on Carlisle's trolley. Finally they were on their way out of the domestic arrivals terminal. Everywhere Amelia looked, she saw happy reunions.

"Are Alice and Rose coming?" she queried, turning around to address Carlisle.

"They decided it would be best if you met everyone at home. They didn't want to overwhelm you."

"Cool beans," she responded, blinking against the sudden cold that greeted her as soon as they stepped outside the building. They were in the parking area quickly enough.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Amelia when she saw the Mercedes, "You have a C55 AMG? Awesome!"

"You like cars?" queried Esme,

"Yeah. Merc is great. I have a thing for British luxury vehicles though, they sure are nice to look at in pictures."

"Aston Martin, Bentley or Rolls Royce?"

"Aston or Bentley, not much of a fan of Rolls Royce."

Esme and Carlisle exchanged glances, Amelia was going to freak when she realised that they owned a Vanquish.


	18. Chapter 18

Amelia fell asleep about 15 minutes after they left the airport. Esme took it as an opportunity to phone Alice and let her know that they were safe and on their way home, not that she needed to be told anyway.

"She's asleep, and you are on your way home," said Alice as soon as she picked the phone.

"Yes Alice dear," giggled Esme, "I don't know why I bother anymore."

"You missed me, that's why. Anyway, on to more pressing matters. Rose and I think that we should give Mia some space. We're going to give you two the time to give Mia a tour of the house, before the rest of us meet her. The rest of the family is out hunting and will go to Bella and Edward's house when they're done. Rose and I will decorate the house quickly while you guys are upstairs, so please take your time. I reckon give Mia her afternoon physio, then we have ample time to decorate."

"Maybe you guys can come and say hi before we take her upstairs? I think it's a good idea, but why the heck do you want to decorate the house?"

"Just the living room, I promise. We want to welcome our baby sister into the family."

"Ok," said Esme, dragging out the last syllable, "is the house actually still standing? I can't wait to see what you have done to Amelia's bedroom."

"It looks amazing, Es. Oh, tell Carlisle to slow down, there's a speed camera up ahead. I told him not to speed, there's a human on board!" Alice groaned.

"Honestly, Alice," said Carlisle, shaking his head, "did you girls go hunting as well?"

"Yes, we just got back. Ok, well I'll see you soon then. Bye!"

They hung up, and Carlisle and Esme linked hands and the drive continued in companionable silence. After a couple of hours, a sleepy voice spoke from the back seat.

"Are we there yet?"

"We'll be there in 15 minutes, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" asked Carlisle.

"Ok, just a bit tight-chested."

"Ok, I'll give you some physio and afternoon meds when we get home. Can you make it that far, or do you want to stop now?"

"You said we were 15 minutes off, right? Then I should be ok until we get to your house."

"It's yours too," said Esme, reaching into the backseat and linking her hand with Amelia's. Amelia gave it a small squeeze and coughed.

As they drove through the town of Forks, Amelia stared out the window. Charlie flashed his lights as they drove past him in his police cruiser. Carlisle and Esme waved back. Soon enough, they were driving along the familiar winding road that was home to the Cullen family. Carlisle and Esme sighed in relief, glad to be home again. Carlisle pulled into the massive garage and into his usual parking spot.

"Whoa, that's a lot of cars," she said.

"That excludes Bella and Edward's cars," stated Carlisle, in a matter-of-fact tone. Amelia's eyes grew big. She said nothing, but unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, dragging her portable concentrator with her as she did. She turned and found herself sandwiched between Alice and Rose, being hugged like they hadn't seen each other in a century.

"Hey guys," she greeted.

"Mia!" they both exclaimed, happy to see her. Amelia coughed and her sisters let her go.

"We'll take your stuff up to your room so long. Hi Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle, she needs her physio now, please take care of her."

Amelia found herself in Carlisle's arms and she was being run up to the top floor into his office. She shut her eyes, trying not to throw up. She tried to take a deep breath and started choking on her phlegm, turning rather green in the process. Carlisle looked at her in concern. She found herself in the bathroom much to her relief.

"A little warning next time, please," she gasped between spasms. Esme came into the bathroom a second later, carrying her daughter's nebuliser with a particularly heavy dose of medication. Amelia took it gratefully, hoping that it would ease up the coughing by loosening all the mucus residing on her chest. Eventually it did the trick, but in the process Amelia lost the snack that she had eaten in the car before she had fallen asleep. Groaning, she wiped her mouth and pulled herself up off the floor. Esme had been holding back her hair and now she helped her daughter up and they exited the bathroom.

"Feeling better?" queried Carlisle. Amelia nodded.

"How does some lunch sound?" asked Esme.

"That will be lovely, thank you," she said.

Esme and Carlisle could hear the rest of the family downstairs getting the decorations ready. It sounded like they had heard Amelia's bout of puking, from what they could gather, Edward was trying to convince Emmett that he didn't need to run upstairs to protect his baby sister as Esme and Carlisle had it under control. Emmett was unhappy but continued to put up decorations, muttering under his breath.

A set of footsteps came up the stairs - Bella. She stood outside Carlisle's office.

"I've made her a fruit salad. Pineapple always helped me with the nausea," she said, knowing that Carlisle and Esme could hear her, "and I've added some banana and tinned peaches, because they taste nice. It's in the kitchen, shout if you want me to bring it up."

"Thanks, Bella," said Carlisle. The Cullen parents heard her walk down the stairs and Carlisle opened up the door, "So that room was my office, Mia. Let's show you the rest of the house." Amelia nodded.

"This is Esme and my bedroom," he said, opening up the door to the room located next to his office. Amelia peeked in. Their suitcases were already in the room, waiting to be unpacked. Opposite the main bedroom was Esme's workspace, where blueprints lined the walls and sketches littered her desk. Next door to that was a library, which had Amelia gazing around its walls in wonder.

"Wow!" she whispered, walking around the room, "Carlisle, some of these books are really old!"

"Yes they are, they were mine as a young child, so they are more than 300 years old."

"You're over 300 years old?" she said in curiosity.

"Yes I am, but that is a story for later. I'll tell you tonight as a bedtime story, how does that sound?"

Amelia nodded enthusiastically, still walking around the room, running her hand along the multiple rows of books that lined the walls.

"Perhaps we can make this a study spot for you," said Esme, smiling at her daughter.

"That might not be the best idea. I doubt I'd ever be able to study, I'd just want to read!"

"You have forever to read them all, sweetheart," replied Esme, "shall we explore the last bedroom on this floor? You're going to need some time for that room."

They left the library and Esme opened up the last door, guiding Amelia inside.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, "this room is awesome!"

"It's yours," said Alice, suddenly dancing into the room, "I hope you like it."

"I love it," said Amelia sincerely.

Tucked away in the corner directly opposite the door was a double bed with more scatter cushions than should be legal. On the bedside table, sat two photo frames. Amelia picked the first one up, smiling at the picture of her sandwiched between her parents, taken after Rose and Alice had left. She had joked about her parents being hug monsters, which had resulted in Carlisle joining in. The three of them were laughing and Amelia doubted that her parents even knew of the photograph's existence.

"How did you get this? I thought you had left already," she asked Alice, gesturing to the photo frame, before handing it over to Carlisle and Esme.

"I have my ways," grinned Alice.

"Oh Ally," she gasped as she picked up the second frame and took a look at it, "thank you." The photograph in the frame was the only one she had of her biological parents, and it was special to her. She put the frame down and looked around her room. The room had beautiful, high vaulted ceilings and Alice had decided to build a mezzanine balcony of sorts against one of the walls, composed entirely of wood. She climbed up the steps slowly, and stood on the balcony. The floor was composed of parquet flooring. Alice had placed a rug on the floor and some more scatter cushions for her to sit on. A small table for food and drink had been set up as well and a beanbag was tucked into the corner. A dormer window lit up the area nicely. It was perfect for a bookworm like Amelia. The end of the balcony held two expansive bookshelves, filled with Amelia's beloved book collection. It also held some crafting things, like thread, wool and other craft-related materials that would keep Amelia occupied for hours.

"I left you some space for more books," said Alice.

"Thank you so much Ally," she exclaimed as she climbed down the ladder, allowing Esme to pick her up and put her down on the floor before she fell down.

"I like what you have done here, Alice," said Esme approvingly.

Amelia walked beneath the balcony. A desk sat in the left corner, with stationery neatly arranged in old mugs, which delighted Amelia no end. The desk drawers were filled with more stationery. A smaller bookcase stood next to the desk, with some empty files and writing paper. A brand new laptop rested on the desk. Jasper had set it up for her.

"We can go get you some cute stationery tomorrow or Sunday if you feel up for it," said Alice enthusiastically.

"I'd like that," said Amelia, returning the smile.

A music stand stood in the right corner of the room, with a chair in front of it. On the chair sat Amelia's beloved violin. She opened up the case to check that it was still in one piece, running her fingers along the smooth wood in delight. She shut the case.

"I hope you'll play for us," said Esme, hinting at her daughter. Amelia nodded.

"I'm a little rusty, I haven't played in a while, but sure, I'd love to play for you."

Alice turned Amelia's attention to the giant closet that dominated the remaining wall. She hesitantly opened up the first set of double doors and found herself in the bathroom. She poked her head in, and then shut the doors. Opening up the other set of double doors, she gasped as she took in the large walk-in cupboard that Alice had somehow engineered.

"We need to go clothes shopping as well," said Alice, "I didn't want to get too much without you."

Amelia nodded. Shoes lined one wall, summer dresses lined another wall. She was grateful for the jeans, shirts and hoodies that she saw along another wall. She walked out of the closest and shut the doors, before giving Alice, Esme and Carlisle a hug each.

"Thank you so much! This is awesome!"

"You're welcome."

They walked down the stairs to the first floor of the house, showing Amelia the various bedrooms located on that floor – Alice and Jasper's, Rosalie and Emmett's, and the music room that was once Edward's room. A guest room was also present on the floor. Renesmee had used it when she was smaller.

They came to the bottom of the stairs and Carlisle switched over the concentrators so that Amelia was able to move freely around the bottom floor. Esme led her to the kitchen and switched the kettle on to boil. Two fruit bowls sat on the kitchen table, one of which was seated on top of a medicine box. Amelia scowled at it as if its mere presence was offensive to her. Esme handed her a glass of water and she obediently took the correct medication for the time of the day. The kettle boiled and Amelia made herself some tea. Carlisle carried it to the lounge for her, along with the fruit salad.

"Ready to meet everyone?" asked Esme.

"I certainly am," called Emmett. Amelia grinned and nodded. Esme took her hand and they walked to the living room. Amelia was greeted to a giant banner with the words 'Welcome home Amelia!' hanging from the ceiling. Balloons floated around the room. A small stack of presents lay in the corner. Edward had reigned Alice in so it was very understated but Amelia loved it.

Seeing her new siblings, she smiled shyly at them, suddenly terrified. Renesmee suddenly broke the silence by running towards her new aunt and throwing her arms around her. Amelia automatically hugged her back.

"Hi. I'm Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie! You're my new auntie. Can I call you Auntie Amelia?" she said enthusiastically.

"Hi Nessie, I'm Amelia but I prefer to be called Mia. I guess I am your new auntie, but you can just call me Mia if you prefer."

"Ok Mia!" She let go of Amelia, and ran to hug Esme, "Grandma! You're back! I have missed you so much!"

"Hi squirt, I'm Emmett," boomed Emmett, coming to Amelia, scooping her up in his arms, "I'm the muscles in this house. If any boys at school want to date you, they will have to get past me first."

"Ew. Boys. Dating. Bleh."

"Excellent answer, squirt." He let go of Amelia. A wave of calm seemed to flow through Amelia and she looked up to see one of her brothers staring at her.

"You must be Jasper?" she queried. He smiled and nodded in response.

"That is correct, Mia."

"I'm Bella, and this is Edward," said Bella, coming up to give Amelia a hug, Edward in tow.

"Hello, nice to meet you."

"Welcome home," said Carlisle in her ear, draping an arm around her, "let's get you seated now so that you can eat." He led her over to the couch where her tea and fruit salad was sitting. Everyone went to sit down as well. Alice and Jasper sat next to Rose and Emmett on one of the couches. Bella and Edward occupied another. Amelia sat between Carlisle and Esme, munching her fruit salad. Renesmee sat on her grandmother's lap, eating the other fruit salad.


	19. Chapter 19

Amelia enjoyed an afternoon of bonding with her new family. She had been so happy and grateful for the gifts that her siblings had gotten for her. Renesmee had been given her presents from her grandparents and was thrilled to bits as well. From Emmett and Rose, Amelia had received a cell phone because they knew that she didn't have one. Emmet had set it up for her, complete with everyone's contact numbers saved on it and his face as her background picture, much to Amelia's amusement. He had then presented his baby sister with a t-shirt with his picture on it, showing off his muscles, and the words, 'This is my brother, so don't mess with me' emblazoned underneath. On the back, were the words 'I have two others as well'. The rest of her brothers and Carlisle nodded in approval.

Jasper and Alice had presented Amelia with a gift card enabling her to shop at any store in Alice's favourite mall in Seattle. Bella, Edward and Nessie had brought her some more books and sheet music to add to her collection. Jacob, Leah and Seth had arrived a little later, and after the introductions were complete, they had presented her with a beautiful, intricately designed dreamcatcher that they had made themselves. Amelia held it up and marvelled over it, delighted. Alice had already anticipated it, so she informed Amelia that there was a hook just above her bed that she could attach it to. Carlisle and Esme had presented Amelia with a key. She flipped it over, and her jaw dropped.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes it is," confirmed Edward, reading her thoughts with a smile. He caught Esme's eye and winked.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh this is awesome!" she squealed, an impression worthy of Alice, hugging her parents tightly.

"You are going to have to take me for a drive when you have your permit, ok Mia?" said Renesmee.

"I pinkie promise, Nessie," replied Amelia, holding out her pinkie finger. The two youngest members of the family shook on it.

"Come on little squirt, let's take a look, shall we?" boomed Emmett, picking up his baby sister and carrying her to the garage to where the latest addition to the expansive garage stood. There had been a bit of shuffling around in parking spaces, so the gleaming silver Toyota was parked closest to the interleading door between the garage and main house.

"I sacrificed my parking spot for this tinny granny car," he mock sulked, glaring it the car as he put his little sister back on her feet.

"Lay off George, Emmett. Incidentally, which car is yours?" she said as she walked around the car.

"George? What kind of name is that for a car? Mine's the Jeep that has been kicked into the corner."

"George is named after my favourite composer, George Frideric Handel. And he's not a granny car!"

"I think it's a very sensible car for a learner driver," said Carlisle, joining in the conversation.

"It has a top speed of like 30 miles an hour!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air in disgust.

"That's why we got it. Amelia's not indestructible like you, Emmett."

"I call shotgun on the car for Nessie one day," said Edward as he strode into the garage, "if that is alright with you of course, Amelia."

"Not a problem, Edward."

"Yeah! Then we can buy you a superfast car!" whooped Emmett, "what cars do you like? We do supercars here, my dear little sister. As you can see, Rosalie has the red BMW M3, man that woman knows her way around cars. Rose is the mechanic in the house, FYI."

"That she is," agreed Carlisle, "perhaps she'd be willing to teach you about the mechanics behind your car."

"With pleasure," called Rosalie from the living room.

"Alice owns the yellow Porsche," continued Emmett.

"Is that a 911?" asked Amelia.

"Uh huh. Carlisle and Esme drive the Mercedes C55 AMG. Edward has a Volvo, and Bella has a Ferrari. I own the Jeep."

"What's that silver car over there?" queried Amelia, pointing to the only car that Emmett had not mentioned.

"Guess," said Edward, "you've got the right brand, just the model is off."

"You own an Aston Martin? Whoa. Ok, um, it's not a Vantage. Two doors, so it's not the Rapide. Definitely not part of the DB range. I really don't think it is the One-77, it's a bit too broad," she paused and started walking over to it, "surely it's not a Vanquish? No, it can't be," she muttered to herself as she got closer, "no way! It's a Vanquish? This is insanely awesome! Like wow. Just wow. This car is the epitome of Aston Martin. Did you know-" Amelia launched into an entire speech of detailing the car's statistics.

* * *

Shortly after 7.30pm, Amelia bid goodnight to her new siblings. She was tired, it had been a long day for her, and her body was still running on New York time, meaning that it was 10.30pm over there and way past her usual bedtime. After a quick shower, her parents came to see to it that she was settled in for the night.

"You promised that you'd tell me your story, Dad," Amelia reminded him as she climbed into bed. Both of her parents came to sit on her bed.

"I was born in London in the 1640s, not to long before Cromwell's era. My mother died in childbirth, and I was the only child of an Anglican pastor. When I was considered old enough, my father had me hunt down vampires. I must admit that I was a disappointment to him at first, but I discovered where a coven was living," started Carlisle, a hint of his English accent returning.

"I led a crowd to their hideout, and we chased after them. Some of the others were killed, I was bitten and left to change. I was 23 at the time. I hid in a cellar for three days until the change was over. I hated the thought of wanting to harm humans, so I tried to kill myself several times. Each attempt made me realise that it was all but impossible to kill oneself as a vampire. I kept away from humans for months, until one day I came across a herd of deer. I attacked them without thinking, and realised then that there was an alternative source of nourishment to human blood."

"Wow, that is a long time to go without feeding. I can scarcely imagine what it must have been like for you," said Amelia quietly.

"I started to study more and more, wanting to put my time to good use. I swam from England to France," he chuckled when he saw Amelia's eyes widen, "and studied at the universities there – music, medicine and science. That is how I realised that I wanted to be a doctor. It took me a very long time to become basically immune to the smell of human blood, but it was worth it. I stayed with the Volturi for few decades but left, and came to America. I enjoyed my work but was lonely. During the outbreak of the Spanish Influenza in Chicago, I made Edward."

"And a little while after that, you made Mom."

"Yes I did. This story has a happy ending, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does," said Amelia, yawning widely.

"We'll leave you to get some sleep," said Esme, tucking Amelia in, "call us if you need us."

"She'll have a somewhat peaceful night," announced Alice. Jake, Seth and Leah departed, promising to visit again soon. Bella and Edward left soon afterwards with Renesmee, as the small girl was also tiring. She gave her grandmother one last hug, before waving at everyone sleepily. The Cullens could hear Amelia's ragged breathing with devastating clarity. In the silence that now ensued, it seemed to be louder than before.

"Wow, she really is sick," said Emmett sadly. They could hear Amelia coughing, her breathing stopping for an instant, then restarting. Their bat hearing meant that they also heard her heart struggling along.

"How bad is it?" asked Jasper.

"As you can hear, her heart is not really handling it well. It's beginning to fail. Her lung function has come up to 28%. Her kidneys will pack up sooner or later, as will her liver. Her entire body is going to shut down around September," said Carlisle.

"When are you going to change her?" asked Rosalie.

"We'll discuss options, but I was thinking of doing it during the summer holidays. That way, she can finish off sophomore year."

"Will she be able to go back to school afterwards, do you think?" wondered Jasper.

"She's dying, Jazz, and she's refused a transplant. You don't make a miraculous recovery from that disease without a transplant. It's too suspicious," explained Alice.

"I suppose it is time that we move again," pondered Esme, "the townsfolk are starting to notice that we haven't aged."

"It's been on the cards for a while, but I think this is a good opportunity to move. Realistically, Amelia is going to pass away. Questions will be asked if she suddenly returns to school for junior year looking the picture of health. Perhaps we fake her death and move away because of the painful memories?" said Carlisle.

"We will need a story, but let's discuss it with Amelia first," decided Esme, "thought I think we should stay here until Christmas at least. It's going to be tricky for her settle down, and I don't want to upset her by uprooting her too soon either."

They fell into a troubled silence, listening to Amelia's steady but ragged breathing. After about an hour, Alice and Jazz excused themselves to their room, as did Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle held out his hand to Esme, and she took it. They walked at a human pace up the stairs to their room to start their unpacking. At vampire speed, it didn't take long for them to unpack. Alice had already taken care of Amelia's unpacking, which simplified matters. After taking a shower, Esme didn't know what to do with herself and she was trying to distract herself with some reading. Instead, she found herself worrying about Amelia.

"She's fine, Esme," said Carlisle, glancing up from his book. Almost 90 years of marriage had the two of them so well in sync with each other that they instinctively knew what was on the other's mind.

"I know, but I'm still worried about her."

"Either you go and spend the night in Amelia's room, or you bring her hear and put her between us." They were both in their pyjamas – a habit that they had picked up since Renesmee had arrived – propped up against the headboard on their respective sides of the bed. Esme was lying with her feet crossed at the ankles, Carlisle was sitting cross-legged.

"I feel like a new mother, worrying about her baby when he finally falls asleep," she stated, eyebrows creasing.

"In some ways, you are," replied Carlisle gently, "and it's ok to worry. Just don't keep her from living out her life while she still has blood in her veins."

Esme nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Carlisle chuckled. "Her bedroom or ours?"

"Ours," she stated firmly. They snuck into Amelia's bedroom and gently lifted her out of bed, before carrying her back to their room and placing her between them. Amelia started coughing and woke herself up.

"It's okay sweetheart, go back to sleep," hushed Esme. Amelia blinked sleepily. She curled up into a ball on her side, the top of her head resting gently against Esme's hip. Esme snaked her arm around Amelia, rubbing small circles on her back until she fell asleep again. Carlisle switched off the main light and left his bedside lap on. With superhuman senses, they had no need for any light source, but left the light on in case Amelia awoke again during the night. She didn't.


	20. Chapter 20

"Really, guys, you brought her into your bedroom?" asked Alice incredulously, leaning against the doorframe, observing her parents sitting in pyjamas, each reading a book with Amelia lying between them. It was close to 5am.

"Yes Alice, we did," replied Carlisle, not looking up from his book.

"She's 15 years old, not 15 days. She's big enough to sleep in her own bed."

"And I needed peace of mind. She's not at the hospital anymore where there are dozens of specialists on call every night," retorted Esme, glancing up from her book to meet her middle daughter's gaze head-on. Alice shrugged and sighed.

"Lay off them, Alice," said Rosalie, walking into the bedroom and sitting down on the bed, "I'd do the same if I were them."

Alice sighed and walked into the room as well, sitting down next to Rosalie. Jasper and Emmett came upstairs as well, worried that something was wrong with Amelia and not wanting to be left out of the action.

"Is she ok?" asked Emmett.

"She's fast asleep, quite peaceful actually," replied Jasper, picking up on Amelia's emotions, "I take it the nightmares are over?"

"Yes. It was just that night after she ripped out her IV," said Carlisle.

"How did you manage to find out about the abuse?" queried Emmett, wanting nothing more than to make all the bad things go away, "She seems to be a very private person."

"I told her about Charles," said Esme matter-of-factly. Emmett and Jasper stiffened, jaws clenched. Even after all these years, they still despised the man who had hurt the woman that they regarded as their mother, even although she and Edward had taken care of him many years before they had met.

"Carlisle, I think you should take Amelia with you to work later on," said Alice, wanting to defuse the situation. Carlisle had spoken of briefly popping in to work to sort things out for Monday. He had been away for three weeks after all.

"Why?" he queried.

"Dr Westsmythe will be in. His daughter, Daniella, is going to tag along. She's a sophomore as well, so at least Amelia will have a friend when she starts school on Monday. Also, it's Mia's birthday next month, so it will give us a chance to discuss plans for her birthday party."

"That's a great idea," gushed Esme, "then Amelia won't be so lonely on Monday. Daniella is a lovely child."

"Alright then Alice, what time do I go in?" asked Carlisle.

"9 o'clock."

Carlisle nodded, then directed his next question to Jasper. "How did it go yesterday, with meeting her new family?" He gestured at Amelia as he spoke.

"She was a mixture of excited and nervous. Nessie helped with that when she ran over to her. A moment of panic understandably when Nessie hugged her, I don't think she expected that. Relief when she realised that we liked her, and a resounding sense of awe, like she can't believe that she finally had a family who loves her and cares for her. She was trying to calm down when Emmett carried her to the garage, I think she just needs to get used to us all, but also acceptance, like she knows we aren't going to hurt her and as big as Emmett is, he just wants to protect her from all the evil in the world. "

"Damn right. No one, and I mean no one, is going to harm my baby sister on my watch," said Emmett, crossing his arms fiercely.

"Language, Emmett," chided Esme gently.

"Oh, and off the charts excitement when she spotted the Vanquish," Jasper concluded with a grin.

"Is that why you were laughing?" asked Rosalie, smiling down at her sleeping younger sister.

"I didn't have the heart to rein her in, heaven knows she needed a little bit of excitement in her life," mused Jasper, thoughtfully.

They sat in silence for a little while, watching Amelia sleep.

"Mia will wake up in about 5 minutes. Come on guys, let's make her some tea," said Alice, leading her siblings out of the room. The four of them disappeared down the stairs and into the kitchen. Esme and Carlisle could hear the kids arguing over which mug to make their little sister's tea in. They smiled at each other, relieved that their kids were getting on so well. Her brothers wanted nothing more than to protect her from the demons of her past and those to come in the future, her sisters wanted the same for her.

Amelia stirred. She could hear her parents talking softly. She opened up her eyes and blinked, her surroundings coming into focus. She stretched and rolled onto her back, wondering for a split second where she was.

"Good morning sweetheart," chorused her parents.

"Morning Mom, Dad," she replied looking to her left and then to her right. Esme extended her arm and Amelia snuggled close, sighing happily as she did so and shutting her eyes. Her eyes snapped open almost immediately.

"Where am I?" she queried, realising that she wasn't in her room.

"Your parents, specifically your mother, were worried about you last night so they brought you into their room to keep an eye on you," stated Alice, striding into the room, armed with a cup of tea and Amelia's morning meds.

"Good morning to you too, Alice," said Amelia cheerfully, not bothering to move from her comfortable spot in her mother's arm. After her parents' deaths, she had not received a great deal of love and affection and strongly disliked physical contact for non-medical purposes – partly out of discomfort and partly out of wistfulness.

Esme had realised this very early on her relationship with her daughter and had made it her mission to hug, cuddle or hold, or even kiss, her daughter at every available opportunity, and had been thrilled when Amelia had begun to respond to the gestures, albeit somewhat tentatively. Amelia's desire for affection overrode her fears. Carlisle and Amelia still had some way to go, her abusers had after all been male, but she was warming up to his affection as well. She seemed to have responded well to her brothers, but years of experience had also taught Amelia to hide her feelings carefully. Esme made a mental note to speak to Edward about it later.

"Sorry Amelia, I was a little anxious that you may stop breathing or something," apologised Esme.

Amelia chuckled. "With your superb hearing, I think you guys would have heard me, but I don't have any plans to die until at least the end of the school year. Did it at least bring you peace of mind, Mom?"

"Yes it did," replied Esme, tapping her daughter on her nose.

"Well then, that's all that's important, isn't it?"

"Good morning squirt," boomed Emmett, charging into the room and giving Amelia a fright. Rosalie appeared a beat after him and smacked him upside the head.

"Don't scare her, you twit! Listen to her heart!" she exclaimed. Amelia blushed, the ensuing rush of adrenaline had increased her heart rate and in a household of vampires, it definitely did not go by unnoticed. Carlisle glanced over at her, relaxing as it normalised. Glancing at Emmett's horrified expression, she burst out laughing.

"Good morning, Emmett, Rose," she replied, giggling. Jasper poked his head around the door, confused.

"Hey Jasper," greeted Amelia.

"Good morning, Amelia," he smiled.

* * *

At 8.45am, after particularly gruelling morning physio and a hurried breakfast, Carlisle and Amelia went to the hospital. Alice and Rose had originally dressed her in a tight-fitting sweater, but after Amelia had complained that the sweater was hurting her feeding tube, they relented and allowed her to dress herself in jeans, boots and a long-sleeved t-shirt, with a looser fitting sweater. Esme had stuck a beanie on her head and wound a scarf around her neck quickly, before readjusting the nasal cannula, kissing her forehead and easing her into a jacket. Edward, Bella and Renesmee had arrived shortly before they left, Renesmee squealing with delight to see her auntie.

"How are you feeling today?" queried Carlisle, as soon as they were out of hearing distance of the others, whilst changing gears in the car.

"Fine thanks," she replied. Carlisle glanced at her.

"Edward says that you are worried about something?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "While we are at the hospital, could we maybe check out my feeding tube? It got aggravated when Alice and Rosalie put that sweater on me, it was a bit too tight."

"Ok, we can do that. I'll get Dr Westsmythe to take a look with me. How's your port looking?"

"Hmm, maybe we could take a look as well? It might need to be resited, it's been a while."

"When last did they resite? Perhaps we can leave it in for a little while longer."

"Uh, think it was the end of November, after I managed to rip it out during that blasted puking episode. It'll be in the records. Fun times. I'm a _Staph_ carrier, so I get resited more frequently than everyone else. Also, I fall into that fun category that is immunocompromised, so I'm at an infection risk of note," she ended it off with heavy sarcasm.

"If nothing else, that nasty bruise has healed nicely," stated Carlisle, recalling how she had ripped the drip right out of her arm.

"If I need a drip in my arm, please remember that I'm left handed."

"Noted."

The drive to the hospital continued in companionable silence, broken only by Amelia's coughing. They parked in the staff parking lot and walked to the front entrance slowly, their breath creating steam as they exhaled. They finally made it, and Amelia stopped on a bench for a break, Carlisle sitting next to her. Several people greeted him as they walked by.

"Morning Carlisle," came a familiar voice, to Carlisle at least. He glanced up and smiled, standing to shake the Police Chief's hand.

"Morning Charlie, good to see you. This is Amelia, Esme and my daughter," he said with a smile, gesturing towards Amelia. Amelia glanced up and smiled, making the motions to stand up.

"Don't worry about it, you just sit there nice and tight and catch your breath," said Charlie, bending down so that him and Amelia were at eye level, "I'm Charlie Swan, Bella's father and Nessie's grandpa. Nessie's been real excited about you coming home. I'm also the Police Chief around here, so don't hesitate to call me if you ever need help."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan," said Amelia sincerely.

"Please call me Charlie," he said, "I think you should go inside hun, your lips are blue."

"Oh, they always are, but I agree, it is quite chilly." Carlisle helped her stand up and they bid farewell to Charlie, then walked inside the hospital towards the inviting warmth. They took a gentle stroll to Carlisle's office, greeting people as they walked.

"Welcome back Carlisle. Oh my goodness, you must be Amelia!" exclaimed Alair, Carlisle's favourite nurse, running up to them. She engulfed Amelia in a tight hug. "It's so wonderful to meet you!"

"Amelia, this is Alair, my left-hand woman at the hospital," said Carlisle fondly.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Alair," replied Amelia. Alair reminded her greatly of Samantha, the same gentle manner and kind ways, but a hint of sassiness. She had beautiful, chocolate coloured skin, smooth and unblemished. Warm hazel eyes seemed to twinkle down at Amelia, and a set of perfectly straight, white teeth seemed to glisten in the light. Her hair was long and intricately braided until her waist, which was slim. She was roughly the same height as Alice. Alair was that kind of beautiful that took your breath away. Amelia took an instant like to her.

"And your personal warrior too, Carlisle. You should see the looks he gets from the other women here, staff and patients alike. Really Carlisle, I'm clearly the better catch here, with my nice sized booty and awesome cleavage," teased Alair.

"Which is why Esme adores you," replied Carlisle, leaning down to give his favourite colleague a hug. Had he been human, Amelia was willing to bet that his cheeks would be pink.

"Tell that darling wife of yours I say hi. And tell the kids to come and visit me, I know they are in town, I saw them," she said loudly as a few nurses walked by. She winked at Amelia, before picking up a patient file and walking away.

They left the nurses' station and finally arrived at Carlisle's office, Amelia heaving a sigh of relief as they finally arrived. She put her portable concentrator on the ground and unbuttoned her coat, hanging on the back of the door next to Carlisle's, before collapsing in to one of the chairs opposite Carlisle.

"Alair seems lovely," she commented.

"She is a wonderful person, very compassionate and caring."

"Reminds me of someone I know," Amelia stared pointedly at him, "your reputation precedes you, Dr Cullen. Is Alair immortal?" The last part was whispered.

"Ah, you picked that up, did you?" he questioned, smiling at her. Amelia nodded.

"Yes she is," he confirmed, "as for her story, she will have to tell you that herself."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Dr Westsmythe popped his head around the door.

"I thought I heard your voice, Carlisle," he said, walking into the room.

"Hello Richard, good to see you again. This is Amelia, my daughter," replied Carlisle. Amelia waved at him, still sitting down.

"Hello Amelia, nice to meet you. I've just bumped into Alair, who thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread. Congratulations, by the way and welcome to the family, Amelia. Carlisle, you wanted to consult on a case?" said Richard, redirecting the conversation.

"Yes, a patient I now have under my care has Cystic Fibrosis. She is 15 years old, with concomitant Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes Mellitus and nutritional malabsorption, which is currently being treated. She is presently in right heart failure," he said, handing over Amelia's patient file to Richard.

Richard skimmed through the patient file. "Darn Carlisle, her prognosis is bad. She needs a heart and double lung transplant if she is to stand a fighting chance."

"We're looking at palliative care. She's refused a transplant and taken her name off the list," said Carlisle, coming to stand next to Amelia, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. She started coughing. Richard glanced up, taking in Amelia and suddenly noticing that she had a nasal cannula. He glanced at the name on the patient file, suddenly putting two and two together.

"Oh God, no."

"I'm afraid so," confirmed Amelia, "I'm tired of fighting. My doctor in New York said I'd not last until Christmas, but we reckon I have until about September. I just want to finish sophomore year."

"My daughter, Daniella, is a sophomore too. Perhaps you'd like to meet her, she's just in my office catching up on some schoolwork."

"I'd like that, please," replied Amelia, with a smile.

"Before we do that, do you mind if we take a look at your feeding tube and port quickly?" asked Carlisle of Amelia. She nodded. Richard agreed to wait until afterwards. He excused himself from the room to allow Amelia some privacy to change.

"I am worried about it too, Carlisle," said Esme, walking into Carlisle's office, carrying a thermos flask and some sandwiches, "so is Alice. Oh, he's gone. Thank goodness. The tube is fine, but Alice says that you'll want to resite the port."

Amelia groaned. This was going to be fun.


	21. Chapter 21

One resited port later, Amelia was back in her normal attire and alternating between glaring at Carlisle and rubbing the new port site, all the while muttering unintelligibly under her breath. She was still sitting on the examination bed, twirling the oxygen line around her fingers. Alice had made Esme run to the hospital when she foresaw that Amelia's port would need to be resited, and saw that Amelia would really want her mom there with her. Carlisle, Esme and Alair were having a hushed conversation in the corner, much to Amelia's annoyance. Suddenly a young girl, no older than 16, popped her head around the door.

"Hi Dr Cullen, Mrs Cullen, Nurse Jones," she greeted enthusiastically, coming into the room.

"Hello Daniella," chorused the trio warmly.

"Dad said to go to his office, he wants to have a word with you guys. Also, is Amelia around?"

"She's right behind you," said Esme, smiling warmly. Daniella spun around. Amelia waved. Esme glanced at Amelia, "sweetheart, stop playing with the port," she chided gently.

"It burns," she whispered. It had hurt Amelia a great deal when they resited the port. She had not cried, instead turning her head away to look at the wall. She didn't want to upset Esme by crying, but all four of them knew that she was fighting back the tears.

"Oh honey," she whispered, giving her a hug, before turning to leave the room, trailing after Carlisle and Alair. Daniella came to sit next to her on the bed.

"Hey, I'm Daniella, but my friends call me Dani," greeted Daniella. She had long hair, a mixture of blonde and brown, and blue eyes.

"I'm Amelia, but I prefer to be called Mia," replied Amelia.

"Dad says that you're a sophomore too? Are you coming to Forks High School?"

"Yes, I start on Monday. I'm a little nervous," she said, coughing as she did so.

"You don't have to be. My friends Amy and Narcisse will be there as well. I'm quite sure you'll have classes with some of us. You'll probably have English and Math with one of us."

"I should have Science too, and Music. I'm not sure what my fifth subject is, probably a language or something."

"And gym," said Daniella, groaning as she did.

"I'm excused from gym, actually."

"Lucky!" she exclaimed, "though it must really suck not being able to run around like we do in gym."

"Something like that. I really dislike sports because I was always out of breath, but I'd give anything to be running around with the rest of the gym class. We've arranged my schedule so that gym is in the last period of the day and I can go home as soon as it starts."

"Sweet. Is it tiring being on oxygen?"

"It's tiring because my lungs don't work as well as they should, so that is what holds me back from doing everyday tasks, like washing my hair."

"Sheesh," sighed Daniella, "that sucks."

Amelia chuckled.

"What instrument do you play? We could do with a new face in orchestra."

"Violin, and you?"

"Piano and violin. We could definitely use your help, so if you are interested, let me know. We have practice on a Tuesday and Thursday morning before school, and sometimes during lunch hour. We have the occasional practice after school as well, usually when we have a concert coming up. The spring concert is coming up soon, if you are keen."

"I'll get back to you. It's been a while since I was last in school, so it's going to take some getting used to again."

"No sweat. It'd be so cool if you joined though. We can totally make a plan for you as well."

"Thanks. I'll chat to my parents and get back to you a.s.a.p."

They chatted for a little while, eating the sandwiches that Esme had brought with her. They also exchanged cell phone numbers.

"Amelia, I think it's time we get you out of here," said Carlisle, walking into the room, "Alice is going to be unimpressed if you fall asleep on her when you go shopping."

"Where are you going?" queried Daniella.

"I think she wanted to go to Port Angeles," answered Amelia. She felt her cell phone vibrate, Alice.

 _Ask Dani if she wants to come! A x_

"Hey, do you want to come with? We're going to get some stationery and stuff for Monday," asked Amelia.

"Sure, but let me check with my dad first," she said, walking out the room.

"Carlisle, we're taking the Merc," said Alice, dancing into the room, dangling the keys to her Porsche in front of her, "You can drive my car home. No scratches, you hear?"

Carlisle shook his head in exasperation, "for you Alice, I shall drive it home via the forest. Perhaps have a run in with a mountain lion or two."

Daniella came bustling back into the room. "Dad says that it's okay, just to be back by dinner time if that's alright with you."

"Not a problem, Dani," said Alice, smiling at her little sister's new friend, "Amelia needs to be back home by 3pm anyway for physio. It's 11am now, so that gives us two hours of shopping before we need to leave for home. Let's get cracking ladies, we have lots to do! Amelia, you take too long to walk. Hop on, sister."

Giggling, Amelia climbed onto her sister's back and held on tight.

"Esme, let's go. Rose is waiting downstairs for us. Grab the keys from Carlisle and off we go."

"Bye Dad!" called Amelia.

"Bye Amelia," said Carlisle, coming to give her a kiss on her forehead, and repeating the process with his wife, "have fun now. Don't let Alice buy the whole of Port Angeles."

"Why do you think we are taking your car? More boot space, duh!" retorted Alice, taking off down the hall quite quickly, Amelia giggling as they did so. They met up with Rosalie on their way to the exit, and soon enough, Amelia, Daniella and Alice found themselves in the backseat. Rosalie rode shotgun while Alice moaned at the speed and quality of Esme's driving for the entire trip to Port Angeles, which was apparently too slow, and too legal for her liking.

* * *

"What about this one?" said Alice, holding up a backpack with lots of zipped compartments on it.

"That could work," mused Amelia, coming closer to examine it, "it should have space for my books and meds and other stuff."

"It does. Yes, yes, this is the right one," said Alice, throwing it in the shopping trolley.

"Do you have a notebook like this?" asked Daniella, coming up to Amelia.

"No, she doesn't," said Alice, glancing at it.

"I find it very helpful to use for music class. Most of us put our sheet music in it for orchestra practice."

"Put it in the trolley, Dani. You're going to love orchestra, Mia. How about some post-it notes? Those ones look so cute! Oh, and they are Scottie dog shaped! How adorable!"

"Amelia, how about this for a lunch box?" asked Esme, holding up a zipped lunch bag that was bright pink in colour.

"Yes please," said Amelia.

"What sort of thing would you like for your lunch box? Sandwiches? Cooked lunch? Fruit? Daniella, is there a microwave at school?"

"No there isn't, Mrs Cullen, but we get our food from the cafeteria."

"Amelia, school lunch or packed lunch?"

"May I please have a packed lunch if it's not too much hassle? I've learned through the years that the food isn't always ideal for me, so it's easier to bring my own lunch to school."

"With your bad health, I should certainly hope so," said Esme affectionately, "what shall we pack for you?"

"I'll knock some sandwiches together and raid the fruit bowl for something," said Amelia, stopping for a minute to catch her breath.

"That's not enough food, Mia," said Rosalie, who had been quiet for most of the trip. Amelia looked at her sadly and Rosalie understood the message behind it. She gave her little sister a hug.

"Have you gotten yourself a diary so that you can write down your homework and reminders?" she asked once she let go of her little sister. Amelia shook her head and the two of them went to look at homework diaries.

* * *

Eventually they got done. Amelia and Daniella ate some lunch and then they were off to look at some clothes. Alice insisted on getting Amelia some summer things, and a few pairs of jeans and long sleeved t-shirts. Alice tried to get her some Converse sneakers, but Amelia talked her out of it, opting for a pair of Levi's instead, which in her opinion was the more comfortable shoe. Even Daniella got a few items. At 2pm, they left Port Angeles and drove home. They dropped Daniella off at her house, and then headed home, with Amelia falling asleep with her head on Alice's shoulder.

Emmett had heard them coming home and was waiting eagerly for his little sister to come home so that he could introduce her to the world of video games. When he saw that she was asleep, his bottom lip jutted out with disappointment. Instead, he scooped up his little sister and carried her to her bedroom. She didn't stir. Carlisle, who was in his study, came out to swap oxygen lines from the portable concentrator to the permanent one that lived in the passage of the top floor.

Esme came upstairs and put Amelia's new things on her desk. Carlisle then woke up the sleeping teenager for afternoon physio.

"How does the port feel? Don't downplay it," asked Carlisle after physio was done.

"It still stings," she admitted, "but it is better than it was earlier. I'm hoping that a shower will help ease it up a bit more."

Carlisle nodded, accepting her answer. Amelia packed her new items away and managed a quick shower, already struggling to stay awake. She was seconds away from nodding off in the warm shower before a pair of cold hands pulled her out, dried her off and got her into pyjamas in record time, before carrying her to bed and tucking her in. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

"Thanks Edward," said Esme, coming back down the stairs, pulling on a fresh sweater as she did so.

"No problem Esme," he smiled in return, "she was asleep before you tucked her in."

"Any hint of nightmare?"

"She's not dreaming at the moment."

"She'll be out until about 6pm, so that gives us two hours," stated Alice, "Esme, Dani has told her about the orchestra. Amelia is quite keen to join, and on Monday, when she plays for the teacher, she will be asked to join anyway. I think she is a bit hesitant to ask you about it though."

"Why ever would she be hesitant?"

"Practice is before school on a Tuesday and Thursday, and sometimes during lunch hour. They have a concert coming up soon which will also require after school practices closer to the time."

"She's worried that it will inconvenience you to take her so early to school. She can't drive yet, so relies on someone to take her to school. To keep up with appearances, it'll have to be you or Carlisle. She's worried about sunny days and what will happen if she needs to be fetched from school in the event of a medical emergency – she knows you'll sparkle when you step out of the car. She's also nervous for her first day, and secretly hopes that you two will walk her in to the office. Oh, and her port site is sore but she is happy that you were there this morning, Esme, and she is very pleased and thankful for the new things she got today," broke in Edward, having read her thoughts while she was putting her new things away and when she was in the shower.

"I'm worried about the afternoon practices more," mused Esme, "we got her timetable sorted such that she has gym in the last period of the day, and because she is exempt from it, she can leave after fifth period. How is she going to cope with staying well after last period?"

"We'll make a plan," said Carlisle, joining in the conversation.

* * *

Esme woke Amelia up just before 6pm with the promise of a nice bowl of pasta waiting for her. They slowly descended the stairs, and walked into the kitchen. After taking her medication, Amelia picked up the pasta bowl and sniffed it appreciatively. Bella and Renesmee were seated at the kitchen table and Renesmee was just about ready to dig in to hers, when Edward stopped her. Amelia glanced up and Edward winked at her, picking up both bowls and walking into the dining room. He placed the bowls on the dining table and motioned for Amelia and Renesmee to sit down, which they did. Renesmee looked confused, but dug into her food heartily. Bella sat down next to Renesmee. Amelia gave Edward a watery smile, mouthed 'thank you' to him and began to eat her food as well.

"Edward, what was that about?" queried Esme as soon as Edward walked back into the kitchen, "we never use the dining room table."

"When Amelia saw Bella and me sitting with Nessie at the kitchen table, she recalled a meal with her parents. It's very blurry around the edges, but in it, the three of them are eating dinner at the dining room table. Since their death, she hasn't often had a meal at a dining room table with family. She didn't focus on it for long, but there was a hint of wistfulness to her thoughts. It's such a simple but important value to her. She always made sure to eat at a table when she was in foster care and will continue to do so here, but I think we should join her."

Esme let Edward's words sink in. Each day, she learned a little more about her youngest daughter and each day she appreciated the beautiful young girl that she was.

"I know you guys heard us, come one everyone, we're going to sit at the table," declared Esme.

Esme could hear Emmett and Jasper pausing their video game, Carlisle shutting a book, and Rosalie and Alice putting down their respective magazines. They made their way to the dining room and sat down. Amelia looked up from where she was studying her food, and her mouth fell open when she saw her siblings and parents coming to join her. Carlisle winked at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he came to sit at the head of the table. Esme sat between him and Amelia, smiling at Amelia as she sat down and pulling her into a hug. Rosalie sat on Amelia's other side, with Emmett next to her. Opposite them were Bella, Renesmee, Edward and Alice, with Jasper sitting opposite Carlisle.

Renesmee began to tell Esme about her day, not leaving out a single detail. Amelia could barely focus on Renesmee's story, although it sounded like she had spent most of the day at the reservation with Jacob, Leah and Seth. _Thank you, Edward_ , she directed to him, close to tears. He mouthed 'You're welcome' in return and smiled at her.

It was taking Amelia a while to adjust to living with the Cullens, after all it had only been little more than 24 hours since she had arrived. But her family had put aside their business and come to sit with her at the table while she ate, because it was important to her. For the first time since her parents' death, she felt like she belonged somewhere, like she had a family who loved her and cared for her. That revelation in itself brought a smile to her lips.

After dinner, Amelia retired to her room, saying that she still had a few things she wanted to sort out. She opened up her violin case and ran her fingers along its border, smiling as she did so. She closed up the case and walked to the music room, attaching her shoulder and chin rests to the polished wood. Opening up the fall board, she pulled the cloth that covered the keys.

Edward was busy filling in his family on what Amelia had thought when everyone had come to sit with them. A sound from upstairs interrupted their discussion. Amelia was tuning her violin. They heard her stand, and gently pushed the piano chair back in, then replaced the soft cloth over the keys. Edward walked upstairs and asked if he could accompany her. She agreed. He removed the cloth again, and then removed the cover from the piano, opening up the lid as well. He got himself comfortable, and Amelia coughed.

Edward began to play, Amelia following suit. It was 'Hallelujah', by Leonard Cohen, covered for piano and violin. The family was mesmerised as they listened to their oldest son and youngest daughter play in perfect harmony. They slowly made their way upstairs. Edward had left the door open, and Amelia was so lost in her playing that she didn't even hear them come in. Edward glanced up from his playing and smiled at them. Esme had tears in her eyes. Carlisle snaked his arms around her waist and she leaned back into him. Rosalie had her eyes closed and swayed gently in time to the music. Jasper and Alice had smiles on their faces. Bella held Renesmee close and they mimed the words to the song. Emmett looked gobsmacked. The music came to an end and Amelia exhaled softly, turning to smile at Edward.

"Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome."

"Wow, squirt, who'd have thought that you could play so well?" Emmett blurted out. Amelia blinked and turned around, realising that she and Edward were not alone in the room.

"Did you like it?" she asked. Everyone else just nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

Sunday was spent at home with the family. Alice had wanted to drive Amelia to Seattle, something which Amelia could not fathom. She had everything she could ever wish for, what more could Alice possibly want to get from Seattle? Carlisle and Esme backed her up, so Alice wound up not going. To appease her sister, Amelia agreed to allow Alice and Rosalie to give her a mini makeover and discuss outfits for the week ahead. Alice was being surprisingly reserved when it came to outfit selection, something which mystified everyone.

The morning passed surprisingly quickly. In the afternoon, Emmett and Jasper taught her how to play their favourite video game. Afterwards she practiced her violin some more and ate dinner. After packing her things for the next day, she sat on her balcony, looking outside the window at the falling rain and hugging a cushion to her chest. She was interrupted from her reverie by Esme climbing up the ladder and coming to sit down next to her.

"Anxious for tomorrow?" queried Esme quietly.

"Apparently I'm not doing a good enough job of hiding my thoughts from Edward," said Amelia wryly, "this totally sucks. Like nothing in my head is private anymore."

"It helps to think of something else. Sing a song in your head, translate a text into a foreign language. Alice usually translates the Battle Hymn of the Republic into some foreign sign language. Takes a while, and annoys the daylight out of Edward," said Esme with a chuckle, "Now tell your old Mum what's going on in that head of yours."

"Old? Please," snorted Amelia, "you're 26 and gorgeous."

"I stopped aging at 26, yes, but bear in mind that I have been around for almost 113 years. And have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror lately?"

"I am so pale, I could be the poster girl for a printer paper company. I made you all look like you have been at the tanning salon."

Esme laughed out loud, so did the rest of the family, who could hear every word being said. "Oi, turn up the TV, I'm trying to have a heart to heart up here. A little privacy would be nice, you lot," called Esme, shaking her head in amusement.

"Oh the joys of vampire hearing," said Amelia sarcastically, but the smile on her face showed that she was not being serious.

"So, want to talk about it?"

"Guess I'm just worried about tomorrow. I'm starting at a new school yet again. I haven't physically sat in a class since freshman year."

"Really?" said Esme, surprise colouring her tone.

"Yeah. I was in hospital for four and a half months, and that was just in New York. There's still me being stuck in hospital in Seattle for nearly two months before that. It's so strange being out of hospital. I keep thinking that it is a dream."

"I assure you, it definitely is not a dream," said Esme, reaching out and pulling Amelia into her lap.

"What if the kids tease me, or something?" asked Amelia, fear colouring her tone.

"I won't stand for bullying of any kind. If someone is mean to you, you tell one of us. We'll send the cavalry in." At this, Emmett whooped loudly.

"So many people are going to stare at me tomorrow," she sighed, and leaned her head against Esme's chest. Esme's arms automatically tightened around her, "but I guess it's just one of those things. Yay for Cystic Fibrosis."

"Keep your head up high. Be proud of your oxygen line, it shows everyone what a fighter you are."

Esme felt Amelia shake her head. Knowing that there was little she could do to cheer her youngest daughter up, she merely planted a kiss on her forehead, scooped her up and carried her down the ladder.

"Go run yourself a bath, and then we'll wash your hair," said Esme, setting Amelia back on the floor and walking out of the room. Amelia did as she was told. A vampire-speed hair wash was not nearly as taxing as an Amelia-speed hair wash. Afterwards, Esme combed her hair for her.

"I've never had the chance to do this to someone," said Esme thoughtfully as she ran the comb through Amelia's hair.

"Comb someone else's hair?"

"Yes. I mean, Alice and Rose have never needed my help with anything. Nor have Bella and Nessie. It's nice to do something like this for someone."

"You're very gentle. I get too impatient, especially lately because I'm usually too tired from the shower itself to bother. Or care, for that matter."

"It's nice to have someone to care for. I don't mean that I wish you were sick like this, it's not nice at all, but I like having someone around the house who needs my help. Gosh, I really am messing this up," she fussed, biting her bottom lip.

Amelia caught Esme's hands in her own. "It's nice to have a human in the house who is not self-sufficient like vampires, someone who needs taking care of," she supplied, understanding exactly what Esme was trying to say.

"Exactly."

"Would you mind coming with me tomorrow morning?"

"I'll be the one dragging you kicking and screaming from the car to the front office. Carlisle is going in to work late as well so that he can be there for you as well, and iron out any difficulties with the principal."

"I suppose being the town doctor and putting 5 kids through the school at once gives you a certain edge," said Amelia, smiling.

* * *

The next morning saw Amelia awake at 5am once again, with physio to kick start her day. She paced nervously, trying to drink some tea. Esme was attempting to coerce her into eating breakfast. It wasn't working, but she was resolute that Amelia was going to eat a good breakfast.

"Don't make me force feed you, Amelia Grace Theodore-Cullen," she threatened, pushing the eggs and toast in front of her.

"It's too early, Mom, I really can't eat. I don't feel well."

"Esme, you're going to make her sick. Leave her be," spoke up Alice.

"It's just nerves, not physio. Eat. Now," she commanded, rounding on Alice and glaring at her. In her heart, Esme knew that she was being too strict on her daughter, but Amelia needed to eat breakfast. For a Diabetic, regular meals were important. For someone with Amelia's additional health problems, poor eating habits did little to help her remain healthy.

Sighing, Amelia picked up her fork and slowly ate her breakfast. Esme stood by and watched her every bite, making sure that she didn't try to skip a mouthful somewhere. When she was finally done, Amelia trudged up to her room, tears streaming down her face, nausea intensifying every second. Carlisle walked past her in the passage and tried to give her a hug but she tensed up the minute he touched her. Realising that she needed her space, he let her go, frowning in her wake.

"Esme, I told you not to force her to eat," he heard Alice say.

"She needed to eat, Alice! She's a growing child, for goodness sake!"

"She was refusing to eat because she knows that the food that you put the effort in to making for her is just going to go to waste."

"How does my cooking go to waste, Mary Alice? She ate it all, I saw her, and so did you!"

To illustrate Alice's point, Amelia started coughing heavily, which quickly turned into retching. Carlisle, being closest to her, ran to help her. In an unusually violent fashion, Amelia lost her breakfast and her cup of tea in the space of a minute.

"Next time, listen to me Esme," said Alice unhappily, turning her back and walking outside to cool down.

"I'm sorry," said Carlisle to Amelia when she was done emptying her stomach of its contents, wishing he had intervened earlier. Amelia shied away from his touch, lost in her own world.

"Rosie," she whimpered, curling up into a ball on the floor. Her stomach ached something awful. Rosalie came into the bathroom, crouching down next to her little sister.

"Carlisle, can you get her something for the pain?"

"Yes," he said, walking out the bathroom. He met Esme on the way to his office, tugging on her hand and making her come into his office, rather than go and check on Amelia. He raced back to the bathroom with the meds and some water and left his daughters in peace.

"Carlisle, she must surely hate me!" exclaimed Esme, dry sobbing and feeling incredibly guilty for not listening to her two younger daughters.

"No, Amelia doesn't hate you. She's just hurting at the moment. What happened downstairs? You sounded uncharacteristically tense."

"I'm worried about her starting school today and not eating enough and getting sick at school," she cried. Carlisle took her in his arms.

"I think you just pushed her a little too hard. She was crying when she walked into her bedroom but didn't want me to comfort her. She just needs a little space right now. Rose is with her."

"I snapped and I shouldn't have!"

"You're human. It happens. Amelia's not going to hold it against you, she just needs a little time to feel more like herself."

"She was scared, Esme," said Jasper, walking into the room, "something about breakfast may have triggered something but I could feel her fear rising the more frustrated you got. She's disappointed, hurt and feeling guilty, probably because your cooking went to waste."

They fell into silence. They could hear Emmett and Alice having a hushed conversation outside, and Rosalie was helping Amelia off the bathroom floor. Rosalie helped Amelia change out of her pyjamas and into some comfortable clothes for the day ahead. They went downstairs and made some more tea. The two of them had grown closer since Rosalie had told her about the events leading up to her death. They understood each other, they shared in their pain. Carlisle, Esme and Jasper walked downstairs as well.

"I'm sorry, Amelia, for upsetting you this morning," said Esme, coming to give her a hug. Amelia nodded stiffly, clenching her jaw.

"It's fine, Mom," she replied, staring into the distance so that no one noticed her tearing up, "I apologise for being disobedient."

"You weren't being disobedient sweetheart, you were just-" Esme broke off when Jasper caught her eye, frantically shaking his head.

"It's time for school," broke in Rosalie, "We've packed you some sandwiches and fruit, and there's a sweetie and some biscuits in there for you as well. I'll put that tea in a thermos for you. All of your meds are in the front pouch of your lunch box. Let's get going, shall we?"

* * *

"Dr and Mrs Cullen, so lovely to see you again. Oh hello Miss Hale, good to see you. You must be Amelia?" stammered Principal Greene, suddenly flustered. The Cullens turned on warm smiles, shaking the principal's hand.

"Welcome to Forks High School, Amelia," he said, glancing at Amelia's oxygen concentrator and visibly paling. Amelia and Rosalie glanced at each other, struggling to hold in their laughter. She chose that moment to have a quick coughing fit to disguise her laughter. A look of horror crossed the principal's face.

"Are you alright my dear?" he queried in concern.

"Yes thank you, Principal Greene. Nothing I don't deal with all the time," she smiled back at him.

"You sound like you're about to throw up."

"Don't worry, I already did before I left home," she responded brightly. Principal Greene blinked stupidly. Carlisle decided to take control of the conversation, discussing classes and Amelia's schedule and handing him the medical letter that excused her from gym class.

"I'll have Ms Cope organise this with Coach Clapp," he said, "she also has your schedule ready for you, and I believe Miss Westsmythe has already been in to tell her that she'll show you around school. If anyone gives you any trouble, you let us know."

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind. I realise that most of my classmates will be wary of me at first, being a new student and rather unwell at that, but I am sure that it will be quite alright. I have been reassured by my older siblings that everyone is very nice and understanding and I have nothing to fear," said Amelia, laying it on thick. In her mind's eye, she could see Bree holding her palm up, miming spreading butter on a slice of bread.

"They are absolutely correct," agreed Principal Greene. Carlisle glanced at his watch. He stood up, as did everyone else in the office.

"I'm afraid I must head off to the hospital now. Mr Greene, it was lovely to see you again. Take care of my youngest daughter please, she's been out of school for the whole year, so it might take some time for her to readjust to being around so many students," he said with a smile, leaning forward to shake the principal's hand.

"We'll take good care of her," promised Principal Greene, shaking hands with Esme, Rosalie and Amelia as well. They bid farewell and left the office. Rosalie and Amelia collapsed into a fit of giggles as soon as the door was closed, holding onto each other.

"Did you see his face?" exclaimed Rosalie, eyes tearing up.

"Oh my word," giggled Amelia, clutching her sides, "aaaaah. Ow. That hurts. So guys, that type of enthusiastic response can only mean one thing."

"Carlisle and Esme's, uh, donation paid for upgrades to the swimming pool, science lab and biology classroom," answered Rosalie, knowing exactly where her baby sister was heading. Amelia nodded. After hugging her parents and Rosalie goodbye, they left. Rosalie had one last piece of advice.

"Remember, if anyone gives you trouble, just remind them that you're a Cullen. That ought to sort them out."


	23. Chapter 23

"Mia!" exclaimed Daniella, rushing in to the administrator's office with two girls following her.

"Hey Dani," she greeted, hugging her friend.

"Mia, this is Amy," she gestured to the taller girl, "and this is Narcisse," she gestured to the shorter girl. Both girls wore friendly smiles. After introductions were made, Amelia collected her timetable and some slips of paper that she needed to have each teacher sign and return at the end of the day.

"Ok, let's see what you have," said Daniella, grabbing the timetable from Amelia's hands, "alright, you have English with Amy, then Music with me, Math with all three of us, Science – aaw shucks, you're alone, and biology with Narcisse. Don't worry, we'll walk you to science class."

"Thanks guys," said Amelia. The four of them set off for their lockers. Amelia's was placed in the general area of her friends', and luckily for her, it was conveniently located close to her English class. She stowed her violin in her locker, and then walked to English with Amy. Amy walked in to class and stuck her bag on one of the seats closest to the door, then sat down in the desk next to it. Amelia went up to Mr Mason and introduced herself.

"Welcome, Miss Cullen," he said, handing her a reading list and a folder of worksheets, and signing the slip for her, "I hope you have a pleasant experience here. The books on this reading list are available at the school library, but check with your brothers and sisters, they might have copies for you to use. I've gone through your transcripts from your previous school, you do have some catching up to do I'm afraid, but I reckon you should be alright. The worksheets are in here. I've highlighted the literature we have already covered, I daresay you have probably read them all already."

Amelia glanced at the reading list, "It's just the Shakespeare I'll need to read, I've read everything else on here. By when do I need to hand these worksheets in?"

"You don't have to hand them in as you won't be graded on them, it's more a case of giving you the work so that you know the style of questions that I will ask in finals. But if you have a spare moment and feel like doing them, then just bring them in when you're done and I'll take a look for you. If you need any help with anything, pop in and see me."

"Thanks Mr Mason," she smiled and went to sit down next to Amy. Most of the class had arrived and there was a lot of whispering and staring at her. She ignored it, and got out a pencil and some writing paper to take down notes. Mercifully, Mr Mason started teaching the class then so attention was diverted away from her.

The bell rang and Daniella was waiting eagerly outside the classroom for her. They walked to their lockers, and got their violins, then walked to the music block, which was further than Amelia had anticipated. She sat on a bench for a little while, trying to regain her breath. Daniella told one of their classmates to tell the teacher that they would be late, and came to sit next to her. They slowly made their way to class. The teacher, Miss Monteverdi, was understanding and even told Amelia that she could leave her violin in her room after orchestra practice so that it was one less thing for her to carry – she had asthma so could relate to Amelia to an extent – and cheerfully signed her slip off, asking Amelia to play something for them, which she did willingly. True to Alice's prediction, she was asked to attend orchestra practices on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

After music, Amelia and Daniella put their violins back in their lockers and walked to Math class, meeting up with Narcisse and Amy on their way. Fortunately for Amelia, she was not too far behind in mathematics, so Mr Varner gave her some worksheets to do and hand in the next day. He also gave her a textbook and dismissed her. Apparently, he wasn't the friendliest of teachers. After Math was Science, the only class which Amelia had on her own. Narcisse, Amy and Daniella walked her to class as their next class, which they all had together, was a few doors down from hers. The science teacher, Mr Molina, was polite enough, also giving her some worksheets to complete. The class was busy with chemistry. She took the only free desk remaining, sitting next to a boy who introduced himself as Michael. He seemed nice enough, appearing interested in her oxygen concentrator which she had been lugging around all day.

* * *

After the bell rung to indicate the start of lunch time, she went to her locker first so as to avoid the rush to the cafeteria, then made her way slowly to the cafeteria. A silence seemed to fall on the cafeteria as she entered, with everyone, literally everyone, stopping to stare at her. She looked around, desperately trying to find Daniella, Amy and Narcisse.

"Hey Darth Vader's back from the dead!" yelled one of the senior boys. The entire cafeteria burst into laughter.

"What did you just call her?" boomed an angry voice from behind her. Amelia turned around. Emmett stood behind her, glaring at the senior who had been teasing Amelia. The cafeteria fell silent. A beat later, the rest of her siblings walked in. Each of them bore equally angry looks.

"Something funny about being sick, Smith?" Emmett rounded on the senior who had made the comment.

"She looks dumb, Cullen," he continued to laugh. Amelia's face fell, tears threatening to fall. She looked down at the ground. Bella came in with Mr Mason, who already had a soft spot for the sickly teenager.

"I mean, look at her. Take a proper look at her. She's so pathetic with that oxygen. What a drama queen."

Amelia flinched, each cruel comment a sharp blow to her. She started weeping softly. It nearly broke her siblings' unbeating hearts to hear her struggle, and fail, to keep her tears at bay. If anything, that made them angrier.

"That's our little sister you're talking about, idiot. You'd better leave her alone," shot back Emmett, cracking his knuckles. Edward, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and Bella came to flank them, furious. Smith paled and swallowed nervously. Rosalie walked up to him. She picked him up by the front of his sweater and lifted him up, fury etched across her beautiful face.

"If my little sister comes home to us, crying about anyone teasing her, I'll personally rip your head off, got that?" she hissed. Smith nodded in fear. Rosalie dropped him back onto the cafeteria table and walked back to her siblings, coming to stand with Amelia. The Cullens escorted their littlest sister out of the cafeteria, the sound of Mr Mason and now Principal Greene yelling at them all. As soon as they were out of sight, Emmett scooped up his little sister and carried her outside, the rest of his siblings trailing in his wake. Not a word was spoken. Jasper was struggling to calm everyone down.

"Don't pay attention to him, squirt," said Emmett, sitting down on a bench and hugging her tight, "he's a right idiot. I'd call him worse, but Esme will kill me if I use inappropriate language."

"He is worse than just an idiot," fumed Rosalie, "thank goodness you saw this happening, Alice."

"Does Esme know you guys came here?" whispered Amelia, eyes still downcast, tears still rolling.

"She knows we are out of the house, but she thinks we went shopping."

"Thank you for coming. Please don't tell Esme and Carlisle. At least not yet. I think the situation is under control now, so I'd hate to make her worry over something so trivial."

"It's not trivial," broke in Alice, "but we won't tell them unless we feel it is necessary."

"Mia! There you are!" shouted Daniella, jogging towards them with Amy and Narcisse following her. They came up to them. "So sorry we weren't waiting outside Mr Molina's class for you. Our class was kept in because some people were being rowdy. There is a huge stink going on in the cafeteria, Principle Greene is yelling at a bunch of seniors. Oh hey, everyone. You're Amelia's brothers and sisters, right?"

They nodded. "Steven Smith took a dig at Amelia," explained Bella, "we had a suspicion that people were going to be mean to her during lunch time so we came down to make sure no one messed with her. Sadly, we were too late."

"Oh Mia!" cried Narcisse, rushing to give her friend a hug, "I'm so sorry we weren't there for you." She let go of her, and the trio sat down on a bench next to them.

"No need to apologise, we know you would have stuck up for her if you had been there," reassured Alice. Rosalie was digging through Amelia's backpack, looking for her lunchbox. She took it out and handed it to her little sister.

"Eat," she commanded. Amelia did as she was told, offering her lunch to her friends, who declined. Their stomachs gurgled audibly.

"Go get yourselves something to eat. We'll keep an eye on Amelia and make sure she gets to Biology," Edward told the trio of humans.

"Are you sure?" asked Daniella, hesitant to leave her friend behind.

"Go and eat some lunch, guys. Thank you for coming to check on me," said Amelia, gratefully. They nodded and stood up, coming to hug Amelia one by one before returning to the building.

"Do you want to go home, Mia?" asked Jasper, speaking for the first time. Amelia shook her head.

"I don't want to cut class on my first day. It's one more class, then I'm done for the day."

"Ok then. Esme will fetch you at 2pm. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, just tired and a bit upset," she gave a watery smile.

Emmett spent the next few minutes cracking jokes, trying to lift her spirits. Ten minutes before the bell rang, they escorted her to her next class - Biology with Mr Banner. News of the lunch incident had spread to the staff members, and he was concerned for her, but was reassured by Bella and Edward, who had been his star pupils. As the bell rang, they left the class.

Mr Banner brought her a textbook and a lesson plan, showing her exactly which sections they had already covered. Amelia had done some of the sections, and some of the sections that they had yet to cover. Mr Banner also gave her some worksheets, asking if she could hand them in the following Monday. She agreed. The rest of the class arrived, Narcisse made a beeline for Amelia and sat down next to her and the lesson began. The stares were still there, but in spite of what had happened, she was feeling a little braver than before. Having several siblings had an advantage in that no one would go for her now.

As soon as the bell rang, she gathered up her things and bid farewell to Narcisse, before making her way to her locker. She grabbed her textbooks and folder and shoved them into her bag. Taking a minute to just breathe, she sighed heavily and leant her head on the cool metal frame.

"Are you alright, Amelia?" came a voice. Mr Mason. She had forgotten that her locker was directly opposite his classroom.

"Yes thank you, sir," she replied, plastering a smile on her face.

He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Your parents have been called in, they are both in Principal Greene's office as we speak. I told them that I'd keep an eye on you in the meantime, so come in and take a seat. I don't have a class in last period."

"Am I in trouble?" she exclaimed, worried.

"No, you aren't. Nor are your siblings. Principal Greene is angry with young Mr Smith and is meeting with his parents, and with yours as well. Your parents thought it best to leave you out of the meeting to avoid upsetting you further."

"I wasn't planning on telling them," she sighed, "and my brothers and sisters promised not to say a word either." She took her violin out of her locker and shut the door, locking it as she did. She followed Mr Mason into his classroom and sat down.

"Do you mind if I check my cell phone? I just want to see if Alice has texted me."

"Go right ahead, Amelia."

She opened up her cell phone and saw, no surprises there, a text from Alice. _Carlisle and Esme will be done by 2.15, otherwise we'd have come to fetch you. Principal Greene phoned them. You aren't in trouble, relax, but Carlisle and Esme are not happy. Go to Mr Mason's classroom. They'll meet you there. I love you. A x_

She texted Alice back, then put her phone away. After a nasty bout of coughing, she pulled out some of her homework and started working on it. She was exhausted. She wanted to rest her eyes for just a minute, and wound up nodding off. When Carlisle and Esme came to find her a few minutes later, she was fast asleep. Esme woke her up and she blinked sleepily. They helped her pack up her things, and thanked Mr Mason for keeping an eye on her, then led her outside to the car. Realising that she was simply too tired to focus, they didn't discuss the day's events, instead putting her to bed the minute they returned home.


	24. Chapter 24

"Who does that little punk think he is, picking on Amelia like that?" roared Carlisle. The usually serene patriarch of the family was livid. This was the angriest the family had ever seen him, not even Amelia's half-confession of her abusive past had rattled him as much as this did. He paced up and down the living room. Leah and Jacob had come to take Renesmee down to the reservation while the rest of the family discussed the day's events. He had received a phone call from the principal shortly after 1pm detailing the events of the cafeteria incident, with the request that him and Esme come in.

"Carlisle, calm down," began Esme, desperately trying to keep her husband from flying off the handle. Even Jasper was struggling to calm him down.

"Calm? Some senior student called my youngest daughter a pathetic drama queen, told her she looks dumb and likened her to a Star Wars character because of her illness and you want me to be calm?" he addressed Esme, angrily. He did however calm down somewhat, not wanting to snap at his wife.

"We got there as soon as we could," said Alice, "they won't go for her again, not after Emmett and Rosalie took care of them."

"What did you two do this time?" sighed Carlisle, defeated.

"Emmett informed him that Amelia was our sister and that he'd better leave her alone. Rosalie, how shall I say this, simply reinforced the message," said Edward, smirking at the memory of Rosalie lifting Smith up by his sweater single-handedly.

"I picked him up the by the front of his sweater one-handed and told him that I'd rip his head off if Amelia ever came home crying because someone teased her," broke in Rosalie nonchalantly, studying her nails as she did so.

Carlisle and Esme gaped at her. Instead of reprimanding her - under normal circumstances he usually would have - Carlisle merely responded with, "excellent."

"What did they tell you at the meeting?" queried Bella.

"We were reassured that this wouldn't happen again. We met with the boy's parents. They are disappointed in him and he has been suspended from school for two days and benched from the next few football games. He also had to apologise to us, and will be made to apologise to Amelia when he returns to school on Thursday. We will both be there when he does so," said Esme.

* * *

Amelia came downstairs, having woken up from her nap. After greeting everyone, she made her way into the kitchen. It was close on 4pm and she was hungry. After raiding the kitchen for some food, she made her way into the living room, sitting down next to Rosalie and Emmett.

"How are you feeling?" asked Carlisle, a lot calmer than he was earlier.

"Fine thanks," said Amelia quietly, "though I must get started on my homework soon."

"We'll let you go now, we just want to talk about what happened earlier." Amelia sighed internally and nodded.

"Don't let Smith get you down, squirt," said Emmett, giving her a hug.

"I won't," she said, although she was still quite sad about what happened. She blocked her thoughts from Edward by playing Dvorak's New World Symphony in her head. She didn't want to dwell on it.

"It was out of line of him," said Esme.

"People stared at me, he was the only one with the guts to say something," she said thoughtfully, "what he said wasn't nice, but at least someone verbalised what everyone else was thinking. What's been said and done, has been said and done. It's in the past. I'm a freak, I get it. I'd like to move on from what happened. I doubt it will happen again in a hurry."

"You're not a freak!" exclaimed everyone. Amelia snorted sarcastically.

"Yeah right. I've always been different, I'll never be 'normal'," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "I've never fitted in and that's not going to change now that I'm in a new school. I'm the shiny new toy that kids want, but reject when they see the damage. It's nothing I'm not accustomed too. Please, I have a lot of homework to get through, my nap really didn't help the situation, so may I please go? There is really nothing left to discuss." Her voice was trembling with emotion.

"Shout if you need help," said Carlisle, dismissing her with a sad smile. Amelia got up quickly and walked upstairs. Sadly, what she had said was true. Her family couldn't shelter her from everything, and deny it as much as they want, she would always be different until the day her heart stopped beating, and even then, she would find no peace from her differences in immortality.

"Esme, I think before Amelia goes to bed, you'll need to chat to her about this morning's breakfast drama," said Alice. Esme nodded, a fresh wave of guilt washing over her. Instead of wallowing in it, she directed a question at Edward.

"What was she thinking just now?"

"Esme, I will not spy on Amelia's thoughts because you want me to, it's a violation of her privacy," he chided gently, "rather ask her yourself how she feels. If you must know, she was playing the New World Symphony in her head."

* * *

Amelia ascended the stairs and walked into her bedroom. Walking over to her CD player, she popped a CD in and began to play it quite loudly. She didn't want to think, she just wanted the music to drown it all out. Pulling out her binder, she got started on her homework for the day, then moved on to her math homework for Mr Varner. After a quick dinner, which she ate in the kitchen with Emmett to keep her company because everyone else was out hunting, she tackled some of the chemistry worksheets that Mr Molina had given her to do.

Sometime later, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 8pm. No wonder she was exhausted. She had a quick shower and then called goodnight to her brother, who enthusiastically returned the sentiment. She got her things ready for the next day and climbed into bed, clicking off the light and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Esme and Carlisle hurried home after their hunt. Esme had planned on speaking to her daughter before she fell asleep, but was greeted to the breathing pattern that she had grown to recognise as Amelia's sleeping pattern of breathing.

"She fell asleep about 20 minutes ago," said Emmett, glancing up from his video game, "She ate dinner at around 6pm. I checked, she ate everything and took all of her meds. She says that she is ok, but she's had a harder day than she's willing to admit. I saw how those kids looked at her, Esme."

"I think today only served as proof of her deteriorating health," said Carlisle, "she's been having some good days lately, but today was doomed since breakfast."

"If only we were somewhere else, then we could re-enrol at school and keep an eye on her," Emmett muttered.

"That's a first. Usually you hate school," said Esme in surprise.

"She's our baby sister. It is our duty to protect her, and today we didn't do it very well."

* * *

After a quick shower, Esme found herself standing at her daughter's bedroom door yet again. She could hear the rest of her children arriving home and Emmett leaving for his turn to hunt, taking Rosalie with him. Carlisle was busy taking a shower. She opened up the door a crack, and walked in, leaving it slightly ajar. Her heart nearly broke when she took in the dried tear streaks on Amelia's face – her youngest child, her baby girl, her kind and sweet and delicately human daughter had cried herself to sleep. She pulled up the covers, smoothing them in place and gently running her fingers along the fragile bones that composed her daughter's face. She sighed softly and stood a little while watching her daughter sleep.

"There's our new mom," whispered Carlisle, coming up behind Esme and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the spot behind her ear that never failed to elicit a reaction from her.

"I'm so afraid that she is going to stop breathing and we aren't going to hear that," she responded, swatting him away.

"She will be fine, Es. You can relax."

"You know I'm not going to, Carlisle. I've already lost one child to a lung problem, I'm not about to lose another," she cried softly, all of her insecurities rising to the surface. He tried to lead her out of the room, but she refused to leave, wanting to stay with her daughter, desperate to atone for her actions of that morning.

"Esme, she's not upset with you anymore about this morning and you know it."

"I should have been there to protect her from that boy, Carlisle! I'm her mother!"

"Mommy!" a sleepy voice spoke softly.

"Amelia?" said Esme, looking back to her daughter.

"Mommy please, come back. Don't leave me," she cried, "I'll be good, I promise! No, don't take them away!"

"Oh God, no," Edward was up the stairs and in Amelia's bedroom in a flash, eyes unfocused as he listened in on Amelia's dreams. His expression turned to one of horror. Jasper and Alice followed suit. "Wake her up now!" he demanded.

Esme and Carlisle rushed to her. "Amelia, wake up! Sweetheart, it's ok. Amelia!"

An eternity seemed to pass before Amelia woke up, half-sobbing, half-choking and bathed in sweat. The Cullens sighed in relief. She managed to get herself out of bed and run into her bathroom where she threw up noisily for the second time that day. Esme came in after her, crouching down next to her and soothing her.

"Should she be so ill, Carlisle?" asked Jasper, "That's the second time today she's been so ill."

"It's a combination of the coughing triggering her gag reflex and stress from that nightmare. Edward, what did you see?" Carlisle queried.

"She was being abused by someone, Carlisle. She should tell you the rest. I think she needs professional help. It's weighing very heavily on her, and telling you and Esme is not enough to help her unlock the memories and let them go. Come, Alice, Jasper, let's give them some privacy." He led his siblings out of the room. Carlisle turned towards the bathroom. Esme was trying to detangle the oxygen line - Amelia had managed to get it twisted around herself while she thrashed in her sleep.

"Want to talk about it?" asked Carlisle.

"No thanks," she rasped, getting up to drink some water from the tap and splash some on her face. She had calmed down thanks to Jasper using his talents as an empath. She wiped her face on her t-shirt, grimacing as she did so. Esme raised an eyebrow.

"It smells. I need a shower," she said, walking into her bedroom, looking for clean pyjamas. After locating everything, she strode back in and looked at them pointedly.

"Alright, alright, Dad's leaving," said Carlisle, covering his eyes and walking out. Esme stayed on to help Amelia change out of her clothes, then left as well. While Amelia showered, she changed the sheets. A distinguishing feature of CF is a higher sodium concentration in the sweat than in a normal person, so her sweat was, and smelt, saltier. Esme decided that clean sheets were a necessity. She heard Emmett and Rosalie arrive home, and Edward leave to be with Bella and Renesmee.

When Amelia was finished, she came out of the bathroom and smiled slightly at the sight of her mother, the eternal insomniac, sitting cross legged on her bed in a set of pyjamas, matching of course. She opened up her arms in invitation and Amelia crossed the room and climbed into her mother's lap in less time than would be expected of someone with her health status. She curled against Esme's chest, resting her head in the crook of her neck. She inhaled somewhat deeply, soothed as always by the scent of honey and roses that was so uniquely Esme. Esme's arms automatically wrapped around Amelia, holding her close. The pair sat that way for a while.

"I'm sorry about this morning, Amelia," she said earnestly.

"It's ok Mom," she replied, twisting to give her a hug.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?"

"I dreamed that one of my foster dads was hurting you and I couldn't do anything to help you. When he finally let you go, you didn't want me anymore. Then you took everyone away and left me alone with him," she cried softly.

"Oh sweetheart, we'll never let you go," soothed Esme, stroking her hair and holding her closely. Carlisle heard everything and came into the room, never one to stand back when his family was involved.

"You are our daughter now, come hell or high water. We will never, ever leave you, and if anyone ever tries to take you away from us, they will have to get through us first," stated Carlisle, joining Esme on Amelia's bed and hugging his daughter as well.

"And us," said Alice, who stood by the door, flanked by Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, "and Bella and Edward too," she added. Amelia looked up, and watched as her siblings trailed in and came to give her a hug. Hugs were good, she decided absently. Emmett flexed his muscles.

"Anyone who hurts you will have to get through ol' Emmy Bear over here," he stated. Amelia giggled. The rest of the family looked at him in amusement. She shifted in Esme's arms until she was comfortable again, snuggling close.

"Someone's a snuggle monster," declared Carlisle playfully. Esme, feeling her youngest daughter smile and duck her head, grinned up at everyone in pure delight. Her children smiled back down at her, happy that their mother had someone human to care for. Esme's mothering instincts had intensified with her immortality, and she enjoyed her role as a mother to her five children and daughter in law, and as a grandmother. None of them had ever needed someone to care for them, so it gave her great joy to immerse herself in benign, everyday tasks that revolved around Amelia's care – little things like waking her up in the morning, cooking for her, packing a school lunch, helping her with homework and the endless supply of cuddles and hugs that she dispensed so easily, and the bigger things as well, making sure she took all of her medication and was eating properly, made her feel more mom-like than she had felt in decades. Her youngest daughter's emotional neglect was a task she was determined to rectify. Each day, they made progress, each day Amelia blossomed a little bit more.

"Emmett's a tickle monster," warned Rosalie. Emmett had that glint in his eye. A millisecond later, Amelia was feeling the full force of her middle brother's tickling. She was terribly ticklish and Emmett had her reduced to a giggling, squirming mass in seconds. The rest of the family joined in her laughter, and the once tense atmosphere in her bedroom turned into a laughter-filled, carefree environment. Emmett stopped once Amelia started coughing.

"Just you wait until you're immortal squirt," he said. Amelia grinned back at him. As big and scary as Emmett appeared, he was a big softy at heart. Her siblings left her in peace so that she could get some sleep. Carlisle returned to the master bedroom, with the intention of reading. He could hear Esme and Amelia laughing softly and chatting quietly. Two minutes later, Esme walked into their bedroom, with Amelia in tow, armed with a teddy bear.

"The snuggle monster is camping out in the folk's bedroom tonight," announced Esme, pulling back the covers on her side of the bed, and helping Amelia get into bed, "No pillow forts, Carlisle, she has school in the morning."

"Awww. Ok, Friday night it is," he declared, tapping his half-asleep daughter on her nose.

"Ok Dad," she yawned. Esme climbed into bed next to Amelia and switched off her bedside light, pulling the covers over them as she did. Her daughter snuggled close to her and sighed in contentment when Esme held her close. Carlisle smiled down at the two of them.

"Will you keep the nightmares away?" asked Amelia, sleepily. Already she was halfway asleep, her childlike innocence creeping out as she lowered her guard. At 15, she was still childlike in some of her mannerisms, and almost too mature in others. Neglect and abuse does that to a growing child.

"Yes I will," promised Esme sincerely.

"Ok Mom. Night night. Night Dad. See you in the morning. I love you." This was the first time Amelia had ever vocalised her love for her parents. It was obvious in her everyday actions that she cared for them, but never had she physically spoken the words 'I love you' to her parents or anyone else in the family. The words brought tears to Esme's eyes. Being called 'Mom' was one thing, but this was a whole new level of emotion.

"Sleep tight little one, we love you lots," replied Carlisle, leaning down to press a kiss on his daughter's forehead. Esme mirrored his action, and hummed a lullaby that she vaguely remembered from her childhood. Esme felt her daughter slowly relax, the tension leaving her body and her body falling slack. Amelia was asleep.

"Good night Amelia, I love you more than you will ever know."


	25. Chapter 25

The rest of the week flew by for Amelia. On Tuesday, she had attended her first orchestra practice and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She had come home that day talking nineteen to the dozen about the pieces that they were rehearsing for the upcoming Spring Concert and rushed through her homework so that she could get back to practicing for it. She may have overdone it a little, for Emmett wailed dramatically halfway through Amelia's lengthy practice and dug around for earplugs, inserting them with a flourish and muttering unintelligibly under his breath. He didn't care much for classical music, but the rest of the family had enjoyed listening to it. He and Jasper had eventually left the house to go for a walk through the forest before he drove the rest of the family nuts with his moaning and groaning.

Amelia took her learner's license, and passed. She was now allowed to drive, with a licensed adult's supervision of course. Emmett had rubbed his hands together in glee, excited at the thought of teaching his baby sister to drive, but had been shot down by just about everyone. It was decided that Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie would be the ones to help her out in that regard.

By Friday, Amelia had settled down into her new routine of physio, school, naptime, physio, homework, dinner, bed. Steven Smith had apologised to her upon his return to school on Thursday. Amelia had graciously accepted his apology. She pitied him somewhat, his eyes were wide and terrified when he apologised, although that might have been because her entire family, minus Renesmee, had flanked her while he did so, and Emmett kept flexing his arms and Rosalie grinned evilly at him. According to Edward, she had been fantasising about following through on her threat and ripping his head off, and Smith had been 'bloody terrified' that she would as well. Amelia's only response was to hug her big sister, and the two of them had howled with laughter in the corridor.

* * *

English and Music class passed quickly on Friday. Math seemed to drag along, so did science. Eventually lunch period came. The girls met in the cafeteria, eagerly discussing plans for the weekend.

"My mom and sister are going to teach me how to drive," said Amelia, smiling widely.

"Sweet!" exclaimed Amy. Like Amelia, she had her learner's permit. Daniella and Narcisse had August birthdays, so both were 16 and drove themselves to school. The three of them lived close to each other so the three of them were in a lift club together, alternating who drove everyone to and from school. The Cullen mansion was quite far out, so Esme cheerfully drove Amelia to and from school every day. Both of them enjoyed the quiet time together. In a household full of vampires, privacy was hard to come by. These mundane moments, like driving to school, were special to them. They could talk freely to each other without someone else hearing them. They loved it and wouldn't have it any other way.

"That's so cool!" said Daniella, grinning in excitement, "Alice or Rosalie?"

"Rosalie. She's the mechanic in the family, so she's going to show me the ins and outs of the car first before I get in and drive. I'll be learning in a manual too, which is great."

"Manual gearbox?" asked Narcisse.

"Yeah. Just about everyone in the family drives a manual. It's nice because you are driving the car, whereas in an automatic gearbox, the car is basically driving you. You can also push start a manual, but can't in an automatic. Also, having a manual license means I can drive both manual and automatic, whereas an automatic license restricts me to driving an automatic. Well, that's what Rose explained to me," she finished, bashfully.

"That's awesome, though I must admit, I do prefer driving an automatic. I can't stall on hills," giggled Daniella.

"Dani would totally die in a manual," stated Narcisse, looking at her friend affectionately.

"Hey!" exclaimed Daniella, scrunching up her empty chip packet and throwing it at her. The four of them burst out laughing.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?" asked Amelia, once they had all recovered.

"We're planning on going to watch a movie in Port Angeles tomorrow. We'll leave home at about 8am, catch the 9.30am show. The movie is about 2 hours long, so we'll finish up at around 11.30, then walk around a little, maybe grab some lunch. Dani is driving us. Would you like to come?" asked Amy.

"You've just insulted my driving skills. Why should I drive you guys?" huffed Daniella in mock annoyance, turning her back on her friends and crossing her arms.

"I'll speak to my parents and see what they say," replied Amelia, "it's been a while since I last went to see a film."

"Yay!" said Daniella, spinning around again.

"If I may ask, is it because of your health that you haven't been in a while?" asked Narcisse gently, "You don't have to answer. I don't mean to offend you."

"None taken at all, sweets," responded Amelia, winking at her friend, "I'm glad you guys are comfortable enough to ask. Yes, that is basically why. I got out of hospital last Thursday after spending the last four and a half months in hospital in Rochester, New York. Prior to that, I was in hospital in Seattle for two months. Monday was the first time I have sat in a classroom since the end of freshman year."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. I got flown to New York when I got really ill. One of the best doctors in my disease is based there."

"Cystic Fibrosis, right?" asked Daniella mildly, munching thoughtfully on an apple.

"Correct."

"You're so ill though, what is going to happen now? You can't live the way you are forever," said Amy, blushing when she did.

"I know. I need a lung transplant in order to survive, but my prognosis is bad. It's unlikely that I am going to survive the transplant, even if they manage to find me a donor. I'd hate to waste a good set of lungs like that."

"Jeez," said Narcisse.

"You've taken your name off the list, haven't you?" asked Daniella quietly.

"Yes I have. I'm sick of fighting this horrible disease."

"How long do we have left with you?" asked Amy.

"My doctor in New York said I won't see this Christmas. My dad and I reckon I might make it as far as September, but we're taking it one day at a time. Hey, it's okay guys, really. No need to be upset," said Amelia, glancing up at her friends, who were looking pretty gloomy.

"We'll miss you," whispered Daniella.

"I'll be in a better place. I can breathe freely, no pain, so sickness. I'll always be keeping an eye on you, I promise. If nothing else, my last few months in this mortal life will be spent with family, something I have always dreamed of having. I got my greatest wish, and I'm looking forward to it. I get to spend it with some really great friends too," she smiled. Ironically, she wasn't actually lying about her future. Immortality would bring her a life she had always wished to have.

They moved on to brighter topics and before long, Narcisse and Amelia were walking to Biology class. They had moved on to genetics, and it was a topic that both Narcisse and Amelia were enjoying thoroughly.

"Ok class, so I am going to give you a project to do. It's going to be an individual task, so don't get your hopes up," the class groaned at Mr Banner's words, "come on, it's not so bad. You'll need to pick a genetic disease and write a report on it. You'll need to present it in class in one month's time. I want a written report and a poster, alright?"

He handed out the instruction page and rubric. "I'll also need you to tell me which disease you have chosen so that we don't have five people doing the same topic."

Amelia examined the instruction sheet, grinning as she did so. She knew exactly which topic she'd be writing on. At the end of the class, she went up to Mr Banner.

"Mr Banner, may I give you my topic now?" she asked.

"Yes Miss Cullen," he responded with a smile, taking out a class register. Amelia's kind and loving nature, and determination to learn had made her a well-liked student. She was different to other students, and although painfully aware of it, she had not used it as an excuse to get off doing homework.

"I'd like to do Cystic Fibrosis, please," she said, stifling a yawn as she did so, "sorry about that."

"Tired already, my dear?" he smiled at her.

"Yes. I have an early start to my day, so I'm going to take a nap when I get home."

"Well, have a good weekend and get some rest. You look exhausted."

"Thank you, and same to you. I can go home now at least. Good afternoon, Sir."

Amelia walked to her locker and grabbed her textbooks that she would need for the weekend and packed them into her bag. Picking up her violin case, she shut her locker and waved goodbye to Mr Mason, then walked out of the building to the waiting Mercedes. She put her stuff in the trunk and climbed into the front passenger seat.

"Hey Mom," she greeted, leaning across the console and giving her mom a hug.

"Hey sweetheart. Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yes thanks. How was your day?" she queried as she pulled the seatbelt across herself and buckled in. Esme then turned on the car and backed out of the parking spot.

"It was very nice, thank you. Do you have homework?"

"Yeah. We got given an assignment to do in Biology about a genetic disease. We need to do a poster and a written project. Twenty guesses which one I'm going to do."

Esme smiled at her fondly.

"So, Dani, Amy and Narcisse want to go to the cinema in Port Angeles tomorrow morning. They've invited me along," she began, twisting in her seat so that she faced her mother.

"That sounds lovely, what time are you girls leaving? Do you want me to drive you?"

"Daniella's driving. They want to leave at around 8am, hit the 9.30am show. The movie should be over by 11.30, then they want to walk around for a bit and grab some lunch before heading back home."

"Well, we can chat to Dad and Alice and see what they think. I certainly don't object to you going, although I would prefer to be nearby in case something happens."

"I totally understand. I'm not entirely sure I want to go. I don't particularly enjoy going to the cinema and I honestly don't want to go out, period."

"You need to get out, sweetheart."

"I don't want to get sick. I'd prefer to learn how to drive, actually, and finish off all the catch up work I have to do."

"If you don't want to go, then you don't go. We'll speak to the family and take it from there, alright?"

"Ok. Hey Mom?"

"Yes love?"

"Do you guys celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Uh, Alice does, so that makes us all do it as well, I guess. Why?"

"Just curious. I'd like to get some chocolates for Dani, Ames and Narcisse. Do you think maybe we could go to the supermarket at some point?"

"Want to go now?"

"I don't have my purse with me."

"Check the passenger door side pocket."

"I love Alice!" Amelia exclaimed.


	26. Chapter 26

Esme pulled into the supermarket parking lot. They got out the car and grabbed a shopping trolley from the entrance to the supermarket and walked inside. They made their way slowly around the supermarket, selecting the items that they required.

"How about Nutella on your sandwiches?" asked Esme, secretly hoping that Amelia would decline the offer. They were discussing what to put on her sandwiches for the coming week.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed, walking over and grabbing a jar off the shelf in glee, "I haven't had this stuff in ages!"

Esme groaned internally. Why did she suggest that? They continued their way around the shop.

"Hello Esme," greeted a tall, dark haired woman as she walked past with a basket.

"Hello Caroline," responded Esme, "how are you doing?"

"Well thank you, and you?"

"I am also great thanks." Just then Amelia walked back to the trolley, holding some apples.

"I can't remember if we needed more apples, Mom," she said, staring at the label. She looked up and saw someone unfamiliar talking to her mother, "sorry to interrupt. Hi."

"Not a problem, my dear. You must be Amelia, I've heard so much about you. Oh, silly me, I'm Caroline Westsmythe, Daniella's mom," she added, seeing Amelia's confused expression.

"Oh. Hi there, Mrs Westsmythe. Yes, I'm Amelia Cullen. Pleased to meet you," she said politely, extending her hand to shake Mrs Westsmythe's hand, "Dani's a really good friend of mine. She's been so kind to me this week, I don't think I would have survived without her, Amy and Narcisse."

"Those three girls are inseparable. All Daniella's spoken about this whole week is you, so I'm pleased to finally be able to put a face to the name. I expect I'll be seeing a lot of you, you're always welcome to visit. Some days I think Amy and Narcisse might as well move in," she said with a chuckle, "I believe they are going to the cinema tomorrow, are you going as well?"

"I'm not sure yet, my mom doesn't mind but I'm worried that I get sick again or something."

"Well, I was thinking of driving actually. This weather is strange and it's a bit of a long drive for Daniella, so I'd prefer to drive the girls myself. Esme, perhaps you'd like to join me?"

"I was going to volunteer to drive the girls actually. I'm concerned about being so far away from Amelia in case of an emergency happening, so I'll definitely be there. I think Alice and Rose will also be up for a trip, but they'll surely do their own thing. Shall we all meet up at the cinema at 9am?"

"That sounds great. If you want to drop Amelia off beforehand so that the girls can travel together, that's also alright."

"We'll confirm in the morning, it will depend on what kind of night little madam over here has, and how she is feeling." Esme playfully tapped Amelia on the nose. Mrs Westsmythe smiled at the pair. She didn't know the Cullens very well. Like Esme, she left her husband to do his own thing and therefore didn't know everyone's business, like some of their fellow doctors' wives did.

"Sounds perfect. Hope to see you tomorrow, Amelia."

"Me too, Mrs Westsmythe. Hey, what sort of chocolate does Daniella like? I'd like to get her, Amy and Narcisse something for Valentine's Day. But please don't tell them."

"Daniella did her shopping for Valentine's Day on Sunday, actually. She got you a little something already, but I won't tell her you're getting her something, don't worry. She likes dark chocolate in particular, but anything will do. I know for a fact that Amy doesn't like dark chocolate, but Narcisse will eat anything as well."

"Thanks Mrs Westsmythe."

They went their separate ways. At the checkout counter, Amelia found the Valentine's Day display and selected a few things for her friends.

"Mom, what would you like?"

"You don't have to get me anything."

"Ok, I'll ask Alice."

"You do that angel."

* * *

"I can't see any problems arising tomorrow," stated Alice, coming back to the present and blinking, refocusing on her surroundings.

"Alright. I'm happy to let Amelia go if she wants to," said Carlisle, "Jasper, Edward, how is she feeling?"

"She's fast asleep, Carlisle," stated Edward flatly. Jasper snickered.

"Oh. Yes, well, that does, uh, complicate things," Carlisle cleared his throat awkwardly. The rest of his family looked at him in amusement.

"I think she is hesitant to go," said Esme, chewing her bottom lip. She and Edward exchanged glances. Edward nodded in agreement.

"Why?" asked Emmett.

"People are going to stare at her," said Rosalie.

"So?"

"So, she is a self-conscious 15 year old girl. She hides a behind a mask of nonchalance, but Esme and I both saw how it affects her. Emmett, you should have seen how people stared at her at the airport. She acts like it doesn't bother her, because she doesn't want to upset any of us, but I suspect it bothers her far more than she is willing to admit to us," said Carlisle.

"Carlisle's right. You saw how the kids in the cafeteria stared at her," broke in Alice.

"But those are kids," said Emmett, bewildered.

"Adults are worse. We told off a couple sitting opposite us at the airport who were openly staring at her. They were in their forties. Amelia eventually hid in the bathroom so that she could get a reprieve from their behaviour," said Esme sadly, recalling that day exactly one week ago and how she had wanted nothing more than to run after her daughter and comfort her. Instead, a kind stranger who had witnessed the incident had gone after Amelia. They had heard her chatting to Amelia, telling her about her sister, which probably gave Amelia more strength than anything Esme and Carlisle could ever have said.

Emmett looked sad. He may be the biggest, scariest and naughtiest of the Cullen children, the resident prankster and general hooligan when he felt like it, but deep down, Emmett was a very kind and gentle soul, who cared for his family and would do anything to protect them. Amelia, the sickly and fragile human baby sister was no exception to his rule, outranking everyone else, even Renesmee, in his hierarchy of protection.

"Hey guys," came a voice from the stairs. Amelia walked into the room, yawning widely as she did so.

"Hey squirt," called Emmett, racing to his littlest of sisters and picking her up, giving her a great big hug.

"You feeling ok, big guy?" she asked him in amusement, touching his forehead, "Do you have a fever or something?"

"No, just happy to see you again," he responded, planting a giant, sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"Ewwwww, Emmett! Gross!" she exclaimed, kicking to be let down. She wiped her cheek dramatically, glared at him and stomped into the kitchen, digging around for some food in the refrigerator.

"Amelia, can we have a word with you when you're done?" called Carlisle.

"Um, okay?" That was phrased as a question.

"You're not in trouble, Mia," called Edward, smirking at his sister's thoughts. Amelia came out of the kitchen with a glass of water and a fruit salad she'd made the day before but hadn't finished eating. She glanced around for an empty spot. Esme patted the open spot next to her, and Amelia walked towards her and sat down, sandwiched between Esme and Jasper.

"Do you want to go to the cinema with your friends?" asked Carlisle. Amelia stilled, eyes widening.

"Yes and no," she whispered, head downcast. She picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of mango, before chewing it thoughtfully.

"Ok, explain please," said Carlisle, exasperated. Amelia caught his tone of voice and glanced up. No one missed the slight acceleration of her heart rate in fear. Instead of shrinking back like they expected her to, she pulled herself up and raised eyebrow at him, an expression of defiance. Edward glared at Carlisle.

"I want to spend time with my friends, but I still have a bit of homework to catch up on, as well as all of today's work. I'm not entirely sure that I'm going to finish it all tonight. Then there's an assignment we got given today for Biology class," she started.

"You'll have your homework done in no time at all," promised Alice, "besides, that assignment is only due in a month's time."

"I can't risk not having it done a.s.a.p., I mean anything could happen between now and the deadline and then I'm stuck in hospital, and then I can't submit it and then I'll get bad marks."

"Mia, there's more than just homework holding you back, isn't there?" asked Bella. Amelia nodded and looked at Edward. Edward's face contorted.

"People are going to stare at her, some are going to make unkind comments. She's not up for that right now. We can tell her to ignore them all we want, but blocking it out is easier said than done."

"You saw how it was at the airport. It's going to be no different this time. On an aeroplane, I can hide in the corner and not too many people can see me. Out in the open, I have nowhere to hide. People stare. It's awkward, it sucks and it makes me feel like a freak of nature. I hate every minute of it. You know all of this, Dad, you where there last week," Amelia stated quietly, meeting Carlisle's gaze head on. Esme sighed sadly. Amelia glanced behind to look at her mother, and put her arm around her comfortingly.

"I know Amelia, I just needed to hear you admit it."

"And make everyone else, Mom in particular, sad? That is not fair of you, Dad," she countered, anger flaring up. Carlisle backed down immediately, spying the hurt look on Esme's face and the angry one on Amelia's.

Although it flared up very rarely, Amelia had a temper and a week's worth of pent up frustration was starting to bubble up to the surface. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she took a deep breath, stood up and excused herself. They heard the front door being open and then shut, following by a scream of frustration. It didn't last long, the front door opened up again and they heard Amelia walk up the stairs and shut her bedroom door, sinking down against it. Her soft cries were heard, but she quickly composed herself and went to complete her homework.

"Don't even think about it," said Edward, glaring at Carlisle, who had stood up to go and speak to Amelia, "She doesn't want to see you right now. Give her some space. She's upset with you because you made her confess something she wanted to spare Esme knowing. You owe them both an apology."

The kids stood up and walked into the TV room, where they put on a DVD. Carlisle looked at Esme, who sat frozen on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Esme," he said, coming to sit next to her.

"I wish I had known sooner," she whispered, giving him a hug, "I should have realised just how low her self-confidence was and how much she had to hide from us. I knew she was, but I didn't realise that it was that bad."

Carlisle's only response was to kiss Esme with a passion. It turned heated quickly and they raced upstairs.

"Amelia's next door," said Esme, breaking off the kiss. Carlisle rested his head against hers, fingers stilling from where they were unbuttoning Esme's blouse. They heard Alice race upstairs into Amelia's room.

"Why don't you practice violin for a bit in the music room?" they heard her ask Amelia.

"Uhm, I still have this biology worksheet to finish, so I was going to practice it afterwards. Can't I do it then?"

"No. You need to practice the violin now."

"But why?"

"Mom and Dad need some, uh, alone time."

"Huh? Oh, ew. Way too much information, Ali. Gross!" they heard her exclaim.

"You'll change your mind about that one day, missy. Let's get cracking."

"Alice! You're corrupting my mind. Ugh!" they heard Amelia's voice fade as the pair walked down the stairs to the middle floor and into the music room. They heard Amelia tune her violin, and then start to play first violin from Dvorak's New World Symphony from the beginning.

"You have approximately 45 minutes to sort yourselves out," said Alice as she walked back down to where the rest of her siblings sat. The TV volume turned up even louder. Carlisle glanced at Esme, and they started up from where they left off.


	27. Chapter 27

Half an hour later, Carlisle found himself standing outside the music room listening to his youngest daughter practicing. She was now well into the fourth movement of the New World Symphony. Taking an unneeded deep breath, he opened up the door and walked inside. He stood behind Amelia for a while, wondering how to approach his daughter.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, Dad?" asked Amelia mildly, not stopping her playing.

"I didn't realise you had heard me come in, you seem so absorbed in your music," replied Carlisle.

"Nothing quite like a vampire to stare at you to make you realise that you aren't alone. What brings you here? Is it safe for me to return to my bedroom?" said Amelia, deadpan.

"Yes, it's safe," said Carlisle, clearing his throat awkwardly. Amelia smiled as she continued to play, the music soaring around them and filling the room with sound. He could hear the rest of his children laughing at the two of them.

"Excellent. I shall return when I am done with this piece of music."

"I wanted to apologise for earlier, Amelia."

"Don't apologise to me, Dad. Apologise to Mom, she's the one who has been hurt."

"I already did, but you are owed an apology too."

"Dad, it's okay, I promise. It's in the past. Let us move on."

There was a sense of peace in the room as Carlisle sat down in reflective silence, listening to his daughter play the final notes of the piece. In his mind, and no doubt in Amelia's as well, he could hear the rest of the orchestra playing the crescendo. The last few notes echoed around the room briefly. Carlisle glanced up at Amelia who stood with her eyes closed, frozen in place, as if waiting for the conductor to signal that they could relax. After a beat, she did so, and put her violin down on top of the cover of the piano.

"That was great, Amelia," he said proudly.

"Thanks Dad."

"Are you going to go tomorrow?" he said gently. Amelia came to sit next to him.

"What if something happens?" she said in concern, biting down on her lip.

"Alice says that nothing will go wrong."

"Is there a plan of action for tomorrow?" she queried, a reference to an earlier conversation wherein all tasks involving Amelia and anywhere that was not the Cullen household was dubbed 'Plan of Action for Amelia'. She was less than thrilled at Jasper's naming of it, but he preferred to do things in military fashion. Emmett had proposed 'Operation Oxygen', which had seen Amelia throwing a cushion at his head.

"We have all decided to go up to Port Angeles, so you can drive with whoever you want. We'll meet up with your friends at the cinema as agreed with Caroline Westsmythe, and Esme and Caroline will go for coffee. The rest of us will split up and do our own thing, although we'd really prefer it if one of us went with you to the cinema. When the movie is over, we can assess how you are feeling and if you are up to a walk around the mall and getting lunch with your friends, then we do so. If not, then we come home."

"Ok, I guess I'll drive with you and Mom then. I'd also feel more at ease with someone nearby, so whoever wants to see the movie is more than welcome to gate crash, so to speak."

"Ok. Nessie wants to see it, so I think Bella and Edward might go with her, as well as Jacob, Leah and Seth. They have promised to sit far enough away so as not to feel like they are intruding on your social time with your friends, but close enough that they can be there immediately if something happens."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The next morning dawned in a flurry of activity. Esme sat on Amelia's bed for a few minutes watching her sleep. She gently brushed a few wisps of hair out of her face and observed her daughter. There was something so soothing to Esme about watching Amelia sleep. She looked so peaceful, in spite of the obvious struggles she was facing. When she began to frown and stir, Esme woke her up so as to avoid the trauma of another nightmare.

"Good morning sweetheart," she cooed softly. Her daughter blinked and squinted at her, stifling a yawn as she did so.

"Morning Mom," she murmured, still trying to get her bearings. She sat up and pulled the oxygen mask off her face, swapping it for a nasal cannula.

"How did it go with the mask?" asked Carlisle, peeking his head around the door. Amelia had been waking up with headaches and Carlisle suspected that it might be because she had a tendency to breathe with her mouth open when she was sleeping, thereby not getting in enough oxygen via the nasal cannula.

"Slight headache but nothing unmanageable. It's loads better than this week past," she replied, adjusting her cannula and getting out of bed. She stood up a little too quickly and her world spun around her and she felt light-headed. She fell back down onto the bed.

"Dizzy?" queried Carlisle, coming into the room now.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute," replied Amelia, shutting her eyes until the feeling had left. She opened up her eyes once more and made the motions to get out of bed. Carlisle helped her to stand up and he escorted her to the bathroom. After a lengthy physio session, she hopped into the shower and then ate some breakfast. At 7.55am, she found herself bundled into the Mercedes with Carlisle and Esme.

"Ready to go?" asked Esme, as she climbed into the car and shut the door.

"Yip," chorused Carlisle and Amelia.

"Have we got some snacks, the meds, a spare concentrator-"

"Yes love, we do," said Carlisle, breaking Esme's lengthy checklist with a kiss. Amelia smiled at the two of them. One day, she hoped to be loved like that. The week that she had spent with the Cullen family had exposed her to a world where love in its purest form ran free. The love and dedication between each couple ran deep, and sometimes it felt to Amelia as though she were intruding on a private moment. This moment was one of them, so she looked out the window. Alice and Jasper were busy climbing into the backseat of Rosalie's BMW. They pulled out and sped off down the driveway. Once Rosalie had pulled out of the garage, Carlisle did the same thing and pressed the button to the automatic door, and drove down the driveway, but at a much slower pace than Rosalie.

"Are you excited for the movies?" asked Esme, eyes bright with excitement. Amelia glanced up and met her mother's gaze.

"Yes thank you," she replied politely, staring out the window once more. It didn't take Jasper's empath skills to figure out that Amelia was anxious. Carlisle glanced at Amelia in his rearview mirror. Esme opened her mouth to say something but was silenced with a look from Carlisle. Instead, she reached behind her and grasped Amelia's hand, squeezing it gently. Amelia responded in kind, and the pair sat like that until they were out of Forks. They finally reached the mall complex in Port Angeles, and Carlisle double parked while Rosalie and Emmett, who were waiting for them near the entrance, grabbed their baby sister from the back seat. He and Esme drove on to find a parking space.

"Piggy back?" Emmett offered.

"No thanks, Emmett," responded Amelia, glaring at him.

"Wrong answer," he said, swinging her onto his back.

"The cinema is far away, Mia. You'll be too tired. We can get you a wheelchair if you prefer," said Rosalie, gently pushing the stray strands of hair out of Amelia's face. Amelia nodded in defeat, glancing at a couple who were staring at them. She hid her face in Emmett's back. Just then Carlisle and Esme arrived and the five of them set off for the cinema. Alice and Jasper had gone ahead to get the tickets.

* * *

"Mia! Over here!" called Daniella, spying Amelia on Emmett's back when they finally arrived at the cinema entrance. Carlisle helped Amelia off Emmett's back. The trio came over to them, and Narcisse and Amy politely introduced themselves to Carlisle and Esme. Caroline was with them and greeted the family as well. The girls got some popcorn and cheerfully chatted amongst themselves, watched closely by Caroline and Esme. Edward, Bella and Renesmee arrived accompanied by Jacob and Seth. Leah split up and went off shopping with Alice and Rosalie, while Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper melted into the crowd and disappeared.

Amelia was people-watching, and observing how everyone stared at her. A teenage boy, not much older than her, openly stared at her, while his friends made jokes about her. She shied away from their stares and fixed her eyes on the floor, holding onto her oxygen line tightly. Edward and Esme's eyes met.

'Do I comfort Amelia or leave her be? I think I should comfort her?' thought Esme. Edward nodded. Excusing herself from Caroline, she walked over to Amelia and gently led her to a bench. She crouched down in front of her daughter.

"It's going to be ok, _bella Mia_ ," she said gently, wiping the tears that had started rolling.

"Everyone's staring at me," whispered Amelia, staring at her shoes. Esme could hear an indignant-sounding Daniella telling off the boys that were staring at her. She handed Amelia a tissue from her handbag, and readjusted the nasal cannula for her when she was done blowing her nose, and then tucked a piece of hair behind her youngest daughter's ear.

"I know, sweetheart. But remember this – we still love you, and we don't care what others think about you. Neither should you."

Amelia nodded and leaned forward to hug her mother. Esme held her close, inhaling deeply. They stood up, and walked to the others. True to their word, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Jacob and Seth sat two rows behind them and kept an eye on Amelia while the movie was playing. They were pleased to hear Amelia's occasional giggle at funny parts of the animated movie. Towards the end, Edward and Bella could see that she was tiring but she held out. When the movie was over, the girls left the cinema slowly, chatting animatedly about it. They made their way to the food court, spying Esme and Caroline. The girls walked over to them, and joined them at the table. Amelia collapsed next to her mom.

"Did you have fun?" queried Esme, snaking an arm around her shoulder. Amelia merely nodded. Her breathing tempo changed, the tempo that Esme recognised as Amelia about to have a violent coughing fit. Invariably they ended with her throwing up. Esme crossed her fingers that Amelia didn't do that, for her own sake more than anything else's. Daniella launched into a blow-by-blow description of the film, with Amy and Narcisse piping up occasionally. Amelia was trying not to cough and if possible, looked even paler than usual. She desperately looked at Esme.

"Are you going to be sick?" asked Esme in a low tone.

Amelia nodded in response, coughing as she did so. Carlisle appeared and picked her up, carrying her to the nearest bathroom. He set her down on her feet. Ignoring the shocked glances of the rest of the females in the bathroom, he led Amelia to a stall. They barely made it. Esme, meanwhile, had excused them from the table and ran after them, greeted to the tragically familiar sound of her teenage daughter throwing up once again.

"Can I get you something?" asked a kind woman, realising that she was the mother of the sick teenager.

"No thanks, we've got it under control. It happens a lot."

"I know what you mean. My father had Emphysema and would get sick like that. It's horrible. Your daughter is so young. But best of luck. I hope she feels better soon," she said, exiting the bathroom. Esme turned her attention back to Amelia, who had slumped against the stall wall and was shaking terribly. She handed her some water, which Amelia gratefully accepted.

"Shall we get you home?" queried Carlisle, helping Amelia to stand up. They could see that she was torn between politeness and need.

"I don't want to be the party pooper, it's rude."

"Our arrangement with Caroline was that you could eat lunch with the girls if you felt up for it. You don't. I think it's time to get you home, Amelia," chided Esme gently.

"Please take me home," she begged, finally managing to regain her breath. She was exhausted, she had exerted herself a little too much than what her body could handle and now was paying the price.

"May I?" asked Carlisle, holding out his arms. Amelia nodded and he scooped her up in his arms. She rested her head against his chest, and Esme supported her while he put the portable oxygen concentrator on his shoulder.

They walked back to the food court and collected Esme's purchases and both of their handbags. Amelia bid farewell to her friends, with the promise of seeing them on Monday. Emmett had thoughtfully moved the Mercedes so that it was double parked right by the entrance to the mall. Soon, the trio were on their way back home, with Rosalie flooring it behind them. Amelia fell asleep within five minutes of leaving.

"She's going to be pretty upset when she wakes up," stated Esme.

"I was so angry with those boys from earlier," said Carlisle, a tremor of emotion present in his voice.

"I didn't hear their entire tirade. I heard Daniella giving them a piece of her mind though. I was too busy focussing on little bean behind us."

"They said that she was unworthy of being loved. They wondered how she had any friends, called her names."

"I heard the unworthy of love part. It's sickening that someone would even think that, let alone verbalise their thoughts like that," cried Esme, stricken. Her eyes filled up with tears and she glanced into the back seat to reassure herself that her beloved youngest child was still in the car.

* * *

When they finally arrived home, Esme didn't have the heart to wake her up. Instead, she carried her sleeping daughter upstairs and into her bedroom. Rosalie came up to help her, and together they stripped Amelia of her clothes and got her into some clean pyjamas. Esme tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead before turning to leave.

Pausing at the door, Esme turned. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered. She shut the door behind her, leaving her youngest daughter to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

"Just ease the clutch out a little bit and hit the accelerator. Not too quickly, nice and slow," guided Carlisle.

It was Sunday morning and he was teaching Amelia to drive. She and Rosalie had spent the first part of the morning going through the ins and outs of the car. She had learned how to change a tyre - not that she had the physical strength at present to even attempt it – and had been given a basic crash course in engine parts and what to look out for when one of those parts malfunctioned.

Carlisle had now taken over the task of teaching Amelia, as Esme had started panicking that they would crash into a tree or something. It was unlikely to occur, as they were a good hundred yards from the nearest tree, but nevertheless, Esme's mothering instincts had kicked into overdrive so Jasper had taken her hunting.

"Like that?" queried Amelia, as the car slowly started moving.

"Pull the clutch out all the way and hit the accelerator now."

Amelia did as she was told and soon they were driving along the driveway.

"Clutch in, and go into second gear," instructed Carlisle, the picture of ease. He was surprisingly relaxed about the whole ordeal, Amelia reckoned that if he wasn't so restrained, he'd probably be resting his feet on the dashboard, with his hands entwined around his head and taking a nap.

"You're doing great, Amelia," he encouraged, smiling tenderly at his daughter who held the steering wheel in a death grip, knuckles turning white.

"Thanks Dad," she replied, eyes focused on the road in front of her.

"Just relax your grip on the steering wheel. If you were one of us, you'd had broken it immediately. And keep cruising at this speed," he chuckled. Amelia loosened her grip on the steering wheel, giggling quietly. In spite of her death grip, she was quite at ease as well, appearing to be very comfortable with driving. All of his children had struggled with driving, all of them had been son tense. At first he had attributed it to their strength – one push too hard on the brake would probably break right through the base of the car and their feet would contact the road beneath them. Looking at Amelia, and realising her lack of strength, made him realise a bitter truth – his daughter was too familiar with a car. She'd driven before.

"So, who taught you to drive?" he questioned. He heard the upwards tick in his daughter's heart – fear. Unsurprisingly, Amelia slammed on the brakes, pulled up the handbrake and put the car in neutral, something he hadn't taught her to do just yet. She switched off the ignition, put the car back into first gear and ran her hands over her face. She glanced at him and rested her head on the steering wheel.

"How did you know?"

"You're too familiar with a car. You just put the car in neutral before you turned it off, then put it back into gear so as to avoid the car rolling down the incline. I never told you to do that."

"One of my better foster homes was on a farm, so I learned to drive a tractor at around 8. Supervised of course, my foster dad sat me on his lap and let me get the hang on steering. Sometimes he'd let me sit on his lap when he drove in his car along the driveway – it was very long for the record – and let me change the gears for him. I couldn't reach the pedal so he'd clutch in for me and then I would change the gear for him. He was always very kind to me," Amelia smiled at the memory.

"What happened to him?"

"He was killed on impact in a car accident. His wife was severely injured and died later in hospital. I was at home with a baby sitter, so I had to go back into foster care. Fortunately, they didn't have any children of their own, which incidentally is why they fostered me to begin with. I'd like to think that I'd have stayed longer with them, but everything happens for a reason. I'd never have met you without them."

"I'm sorry," said Carlisle.

"I thought you had gone through my records?"

"Only the abusive foster homes, not the others. It felt wrong."

"I see. Anyway, the home after that was one of the abusive ones."

"The drunkard?"

"Yes. I learned to drive to the shops to get him some food; there never was any in the fridge. I refined my skills so to speak." She put the car back into neutral and turned on the ignition. Putting the car back into first gear, she checked her mirrors and blind spots, then took off up the hill.

"You really do know your stuff, don't you?" said Carlisle in amusement. His daughter never failed to amaze him.

"Yes I do. Can we go onto the highway?"

"Let's ask Alice."

Just then, his phone rang and the two of them burst into laughter.

"Hello Alice," greeted Carlisle, still laughing and putting the phone on speaker.

"She'll handle the highway just fine. Wait until you see her reverse park the car in the garage though," came Alice's voice, "darn Mia, I don't know why we bothered to get you a granny car. You'll be driving the Vanquish in no time at all."

"Mom needs her peace of mind," replied Amelia, eyes lighting up at the thought of driving the Aston Martin.

"Floor it, kiddo," instructed Alice, before hanging up. Amelia looked at Carlisle, who nodded in permission. Amelia smiled and turned onto the highway, driving at the legal limit. She grinned as she geared up and drove faster and faster.

"I'll keep it legal, don't worry Dad. I'd hate to give you a heart attack," she joked.

"You are not to tell your mother about this," he instructed, "she'll dismember me and burn the pieces."

"Okay!"

* * *

Half an hour later, the two of them drove back along the driveway at a more sedate pace. Alice had texted to say that Esme and Jasper were back home and Esme had started pacing up and down the driveway. Presently, both the house and Esme came into view. Esme sighed in relief and waved frantically. Emmett flashed Amelia a thumbs up, pride evident across his face. Alice and Rosalie were clutching each other, trying desperately not to laugh and failing miserably. Jasper was trying to calm them all down. Edward looked thunderous, having read Alice's mind.

Waving back at her mother, she opened up the garage and reversed her car into it, parking dead straight and in the middle of her parking spot. She and Carlisle burst into laughter when they saw Esme's gobsmacked face. Alice and Rosalie took one look at Esme's face and completely lost it. Emmett raced to the car and opened up the driver's door, pulling his little sister out of the car and putting her on his shoulders, cheering loudly.

"Little racer you are!" he cheered proudly. Amelia was laughing at his silliness.

"Hey Mom!" she called cheerfully, reaching down to Esme.

"What did you do?" she asked, one eyebrow raised, as she took Amelia from Emmett.

"Did I tell you that I already know how to drive?" she asked innocently, looking up at her mom.

"You do?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah," she said, dragging out the last syllable.

"Carlisle, what did you do?" Esme turned to him, putting Amelia down on the ground.

"Little squirt, you have done your big brother here proud," said Emmett, patting his little sister on her head. Amelia curtsied in response. Rosalie and Alice hugged her and she earned a high five from Jasper. Edward merely shook his head incredulously.

"Honestly Eddie boy, you're really one to criticise, Mr speed-limit-for-who," said Amelia, raising an eyebrow and rolling her eyes. He glared at her; she stuck her tongue out in response.

"You did well according to Carlisle," he said. Amelia glanced at her parents. Esme was evidently unimpressed with Carlisle.

"Hey Mom, wanna drive somewhere?" she asked cheekily.

"Don't think you're getting back into the car for a while, young lady!" Esme growled. Amelia blinked and packed out laughing. The rest of the family followed suit, and even Esme shook her head in amusement.

"I swear I'm going to have to start bubble-wrapping you soon, Amelia!" she exclaimed, opening up her arms. Amelia willingly stepped into them and embraced her mother. Her stomach grumbled.

"Lunch time!" declared Alice, leading the family back inside.

* * *

After a lunch consisting of pasta, Amelia went to her room and began doing some research for her Biology assignment. Something was telling her to get it over and done with. She popped in a CD – Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks - and powered up her laptop. After doing some research, she began to write out a draft for her assignment. When she glanced up at the clock, she realised that it was close on 3pm and time for her to take a quick nap before afternoon physio. Carlisle found her fast asleep an hour later.

"It's Esme's birthday next week," he said conversationally during physio. Amelia looked up at him and smiled.

"Alice told me before she left New York. I asked Samantha to help me out, and she picked it up for me, so Mom's present is safely in my room. There's a little something else I have for her, but that's a surprise for everyone."

"Alice says that if you need Esme cleared out of the house for a little while to practice, just let her know."

"Thanks Alice," said Amelia, knowing Alice could hear her.

* * *

"Mom! Can you help me wash my hair please?" called Amelia from her bathroom. Esme was upstairs in a flash. When they were done, Esme ran a comb through her hair and dried it off.

"What do you want for supper?" she asked.

"I'll grab a sandwich," said Amelia, "gosh I love lazy Sunday evenings."

"Me too. There's a nice film showing on the TV, would you like to watch it with us?"

"Sounds great," Amelia replied brightly. The pair walked downstairs and made a quick supper for Amelia. She then made some tea for herself and walked into the TV where the rest of her family were waiting for the movie to start. Esme patted the empty spot between her and Carlisle, and Amelia willingly came to sit next to her. Midway through the film, Esme felt Amelia rest her head on her shoulder. She extended her arm and Amelia snuggled closer. Rosalie threw a blanket towards Carlisle, who covered Amelia with it. Amelia smiled in gratitude. Towards the end of the film, Esme realised that Amelia had fallen asleep and she moved Amelia so that she was sitting on her lap and wrapped both of her arms around her, rocking gently.

"She's asleep," stated Jasper, turning to look at Esme, "she's always so much more peaceful then."

"Edward says that she likes being in your arms. She finds it comforting, she's missed being loved the way you love her. Part of her is sad that she missed out on it, but she's grateful every day that you and Carlisle have adopted her," said Alice, smiling tenderly at her sleeping little sister.

"I'm just so grateful that she's with us now. I know it's been just over a week but I can't imagine life without her. We were terrified when she got so sick back in New York," said Esme, tightening her grip on her daughter and inhaling the scent that was uniquely Amelia.

"It was touch and go for a little while," said Carlisle quietly, "her heart didn't handle it as well as we would have liked and we almost lost her twice."

"What?" exclaimed Esme in horror.

"We didn't want to tell you," said Rosalie sombrely, "Alice kept seeing her waking up in ICU so we didn't want to worry you unnecessarily. Amelia's a fighter."

"Alice, do you see anything that we need to look out for?"

"She'll be back in hospital by the time it's her birthday. I see us with birthday cake in her hospital room."

"It's only the 10th of February now, so come Feb 29, she'll be back in?" queried Esme. Alice nodded.

"That's actually not bad going for someone as ill as Amelia," mused Carlisle thoughtfully, "any idea why she is going to land up back there?"

"I can't see the reason why just yet, Carlisle. I'll let you know as soon as I see anything."


	29. Chapter 29

"Happy birthday, Mom!" exclaimed Amelia early on Tuesday morning. She grinned widely at her mother and bounced over to give her a hug. It was Esme's birthday, and Amelia was up and about, cheerfully making a big fuss of her mom.

"Thanks sweetheart," smiled Esme, returning the hug.

"Here's your present," she said, picking up the gift that she had gotten for Esme shortly before they left Rochester, "Alice helped me to wrap it up. You can open it up now or later."

"I think I'll open it up now," laughed Esme, delighted at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"Hey guys, it's present opening time," called Alice, herding everyone to the living room. The whole family migrated to the living room, which Alice had decorated appropriately. Emmett was grinning evilly. Edward was trying not to laugh, and failing miserably. Renesmee made a beeline for her grandmother, eager to be close to her. Rosalie and Jasper were bringing the presents into the room. Bella walked into the room a moment later with some breakfast for Renesmee and was trying to coax her into eating it. Amelia walked into the living room, carrying her tea cup and trying to lift the fog from her brain. Carlisle swept Esme off her feet, planting a big kiss on her lips. Amelia smiled as she observed the two of them. There was just something about their love that was so special to witness.

Eventually everyone was seated. Esme was seated on one of the couches, between Alice and a very enthusiastic Renesmee. Alice was clearly rubbing off on her. Rosalie and Emmet were on one of the other couches and next to them were Bella, Jasper and Edward. The last couch was occupied by Carlisle. Curled up on his lap was Amelia, desperately drinking her tea and trying to stay awake. He snaked one arm around her frail body and held her gently in place. She smiled at him and leaned into his chest. Esme glanced up and caught Carlisle's eye, smiling happily as she saw her husband and youngest daughter breaking through another barrier.

"Mine first!" hollered Alice, thrusting her present into Esme's hands. It was, unsurprisingly, a voucher for a clothing shop that Esme enjoyed frequenting. Rosalie gave her a spa voucher. From Jasper, she received an antique vase – a reminder of one of his and Emmett's wrestling match that had resulted in one of her vases breaking several months previously. She laughed out loud at that, amused. From Emmett, she received bedroom slippers.

"It seemed to be a very motherly gift!" he exclaimed in his defence when Esme had looked at him questioningly. The rest of the family looked at him, and burst out laughing.

"Mine next!" begged Renesmee, handing her grandmother her gift. Esme took it from her, thanking Renesmee as she did. She smiled down at her granddaughter and kissed her forehead.

"Why don't you open it for me?" she suggested. Renesmee's eyes brightened and she eagerly took the gift back and ripped open the gift wrap. Edward and Bella had framed one of Renesmee's numerous paintings for Esme – this one featured the two of them holding hands in front of the Cullen house. Esme was touched and made a great big fuss of the painting, delighting Renesmee no end.

Esme moved on to her gift from Edward and Bella, which was a cookbook – a long standing family joke of sorts – which catered specifically to Diabetics. Amelia straightened a little when she saw it, suddenly quite enthralled at the prospect of cooking a diet that catered to her needs. She looked at Jasper who grinned back and winked. She glared it him and refocused her attention to Esme.

Esme then picked up Amelia's gift. The young teen felt a tremor of dread run through her, settling in the pit of her stomach. What if Esme didn't like her gift? What if she thought it was stupid? She panicked briefly. Carlisle held her a little closer, sensitive to his daughter's slight distress. Esme proceeded to neatly open it up, as if savouring the moment. Amelia subconsciously held her breath, only realising that she had done so when Carlisle whispered to her to keep breathing.

"Amelia, this is lovely!" Esme exclaimed in delight. She stroked the smooth fabric of the silver-coloured scarf that her youngest daughter had gotten for her. Amelia had been stumped, to put it mildly, as to what to purchase for her mother. She'd never purchased a gift for a motherly figure before, so she relied on little else but gut instinct and had purchased a few small odds and ends.

"Be careful when you unwrap it," warned Alice, "there are a few things wrapped in the scarf."

Esme did as she was told. Nestled in the scarf was a small bottle of perfume, not that Esme required it, and some artist pencils and empty sketchpads.

"Oh sweetheart, this is wonderful!" said Esme earnestly, smiling at Amelia.

"I know you like interior design and architecture so it seemed practical, and I thought that –" Amelia's rambling sentence was cut off by Esme picking her up out of Carlisle's lap and holding her tight.

"Thank you so much _bella Mia_ ," she murmured in Amelia's ear. Her daughter squeezed her back and then let go. Esme gently lowered her back onto Carlisle's lap.

"Don't forget my gift," smiled Carlisle, winking at Esme. He handed it over to her, and she sat back down, opening up the envelope and reading its contents.

"A weekend away?" she said in astonishment.

"This weekend, to be specific," said Carlisle, "we leave on Friday afternoon and come back on Sunday evening."

"This is so sweet of you, Carlisle. But –"

"No buts, Mom," said Amelia happily, "I don't need Alice to tell me that you guys are going to have an awesome time."

Esme's thoughts were all over. She yearned for a weekend away, any private time with Carlisle was sought after, but to leave her sick child alone for an entire weekend? That was pushing it a little bit. Their time was so limited already and she didn't want to miss out on a single moment of her daughter's human life, or what little remained of it. Amelia sensed that her mother needed to talk to the others, so she excused herself to go and get ready for school, and took Renesmee with her.

* * *

"Carlisle, this is such a lovely gift, but is it really that practical with Amelia being so ill?" asked Esme, distressed.

"Esme, she will be fine," Alice tried to reassure her.

"Alice, Amelia is dying. I'm can't just leave her alone for an entire weekend."

"Which is why we are only going to Seattle for the weekend. It's within running distance from home if she falls ill. Alice says that Amelia will be fine," reassured Carlisle. Esme still looked unconvinced. She hated the thought of wasting money but she was hesitant to leave Amelia.

"She won't be alone, she'll be with us. Jacob wants to take her to meet the pack and Renesmee is going to visit Charlie, so she's been invited there as well."

"I have also arranged for Samantha to come and visit. She arrives on Thursday afternoon, so she can spend a night observing Amelia and her new routine, before we leave on Friday."

Esme sighed and nodded. Amelia would be alright without her for a few days, surely?

* * *

Amelia slowly made her way to the music block for morning orchestra practice. She was a little early, but she enjoyed the peace that she felt when she was there. Emmett had dropped her off at school while the rest of the family remained in debate. Taking her seat in the second row of Violin I, she began to tune her violin. She played the piece that she had composed especially for her mother, not realising initially that Ms Monteverdi had walked into the room and was listening to her play. Daniella walked in just as it was ending, she too stood amazed at her friend's talent.

"Darn, she's good," breathed Ms Monteverdi. Amelia concluded the piece, and launched straight into a piece that her and Edward were going to play for Esme that night – _Odd days_ by Ludovico Einaudi. After a better practice than they had had the previous week, the orchestra members disbanded and went their separate ways. English class brought a change from the norm.

"Class, we have an exchange student joining us from Germany for a few weeks. Her name is Blythe. I trust that you will all be welcoming to her. Blythe, you may take a seat next to Amelia."

Blythe smiled at Amelia, having already been informed of her situation, and made her way to the open seat on the other side of Amelia. Amy stuck out her hand and introduced herself to the newcomer. Amelia mimicked the action and smiled warmly at her new friend. Her hands were cold to the touch and hard. Amelia took her in when Blythe was looking at the board. She was beautiful, tall and brunette, with the trademark golden eyes that she was so accustomed to. Amelia realised immediately that she was a vampire as well.

'Is it just me or are there a lot of supernatural forces at play here in this sleepy town?' she mused to herself as she took notes of what Mr Mason was writing on the board. The class soon ended and Amelia set off to the music block with Daniella in tow. Blythe, who also had music class, accompanied them. They kept their conversation brief, with the promise of speaking in the cafeteria. Just before they walked into the building, Amelia pulled Blythe aside.

"You're an animal drinker?" she asked Blythe.

"Yes. You are a Cullen? One of Carlisle's children? But you are human," replied Blythe, her German accent sounding more English.

"Indeed I am."

"Amelia! Are you alright?" exclaimed Ms Monteverdi, walking outside to look for her star pupil. The pair hurried to class.

* * *

"Welcome Dr and Mrs Cullen, kids," greeted the hostess warmly. The family had driven out to Port Angeles to an upmarket restaurant to celebrate Esme's birthday. They were soon seated in a more private area of the restaurant. Having abnormally good looks and one oxygen-dependent teenager garnered a lot of unnecessary attention. Carlisle sat at the head of the table with Esme on one side and Amelia on the other. Next to Esme was Renesmee, eagerly paging through her menu for something to eat. Bella was next to her, chatting to Edward about something. Alice sat on the other side of Edward, and next to her, at the other head of the table was Jasper, who studied his menu with military scrutiny. Rosalie was paging through a menu with Amelia, looking for something for her to drink and Emmett was moving the salt grinders up and down the table.

"Whatever you do kids, don't order the whole menu," joked Carlisle, picking up his menu and scanning it. The kids groaned loudly. Renesmee giggled in that adorable laugh that could melt anyone's heart.

"You're hilarious, Dad," said Emmett, banging his head on the salt grinder in mock horror.

"We'll just have a few jugs of water to drink please," requested Esme when the waiter came to serve them. He returned a few minutes later with two pitchers of water and some glasses. He stared at Amelia, then smiled and winked at her, before taking the meal order and excusing himself. Amelia blinked in confusion.

"He thought you were cute," said Edward, grinning at Amelia. Carlisle and Emmett immediately protested. Amelia choked on the water that she was drinking.

"Huh?" was all she could manage.

"He really did," confirmed Jasper. Alice nodded in confirmation.

"Awww," exclaimed Rosalie, enjoying the thought that someone thought her little sister was cute. Renesmee echoed the sentiment.

"Where is he? He's not going out with my baby sister!" exclaimed Emmett.

"Relax Emmett," said Bella, shooting him a glare.

"Well I think it's sweet," broke in Esme, glaring at Emmett and whacking Carlisle on the arm. The table immediately quietened down. When the waiter arrived with their food, you could have heard a pin drop. He blushed and walked away quickly.

"Now you've frightened him off," chided Edward.

"Good," chorused Carlisle and Emmett.

"There was a new student in class today," yawned Amelia. She was curled up comfortably in the back seat, full of pizza. She had eaten little, claiming not to be hungry. The family had ordered a fair amount of food, and that had been boxed up and Edward had taken it with him, seeking out homeless people and giving it to them so that they too might eat a meal.

"Really?" said Esme. She loved it when Amelia filled her in on the mundane details of her school life. She had had a tiring day, and had fallen asleep in the car on the way home.

"Well, she's actually an exchange student. She's super sweet. She's also an animal drinker. There sure are a heck of a lot of you guys around."

"Really?" asked Carlisle. Carlisle and Esme both tensed up.

"She knows you, Dad. Her name is Blythe."

"Oh yes, I know exactly who you are referring to. She has a gift similar to Alair's," said Carlisle. Both of them relaxed once more.

"She's a healer?" asked Esme.

"Alair's a healer?" exclaimed Amelia.

"Yes she is. Alair's gift is limited though, she can heal minor injuries, like cuts and broken bones. I think that makes it easier for her to work around people, knowing that she can help them but at the same time, she doesn't feel that guilt when she loses a patient, because she knows that her gift is limited. Blythe's appears to be unlimited. It would be best to ask her about it yourself, though. Why not invite her over soon?"

Amelia nodded and fell silent. Another vampire? Well that ought to make life a little more interesting.


	30. Chapter 30

"Happy Valentine's Day!" shouted Alice, walking into Amelia's room and waking her up with a start. Amelia took a few moments to calm herself down.

"Please don't kill her, Alice," said Rosalie, walking into the room.

"Happy Valentine's Day," yawned Amelia when her heart beat normalised again.

"You too, little sis. We have a surprise for you but you're only going to find out what it is after school."

"Not fair, Ally!"

After physio, the trio walked downstairs. Amelia greeted everyone and walked into the kitchen to pour herself some cereal. A small pile of chocolates sat on her bowl.

"Thanks guys," she said.

"Chocolate is not good for your Diabetes, but you need to eat as normal a diet as possible because of your CF," explained Edward, reading Amelia's confusion.

"Hence we didn't go overboard and only got you a few choccies," said Alice brightly.

"Happy Valentine's Day, baby girl," squealed Esme, bouncing into the kitchen with a soft toy. She swept Amelia up into her arms and held her tightly.

"You too, Mom," replied Amelia, sighing happily. Carlisle gave her a hug as well. They presented her with a teddy bear with hearts all over it. Amelia was thrilled.

* * *

After orchestra practice, Amelia and Daniella made their way to class. Mr Mason was clearly a hopeless romantic and dressed in red. He serenaded his students with chocolates and love poems. Amy, Blythe and Amelia laughed the entire lesson at his silliness. It was certainly amusing. Music class was also a fun affair, with the students playing random love songs on their respective instruments. By the time lunch time arrived, there was utter pandemonium in the cafeteria. Students had been allowed to purchase roses for each other and write a note, which was to be delivered during lunch time on Valentine's Day.

Amelia and Blythe arrived at the cafeteria first. Blythe had a thermos flask with her. The two of them grinned knowingly. Daniella, Amy and Narcisse raced to get themselves some food before the roses were handed out. The five of them exchanged chocolates, bursting into gales of laughter when they realised that they had all purchased the same things for each other. Each of the girls had purchased a soft toy for Amelia, unsure whether or not chocolate and Diabetes was a good match.

"Thanks guys," said Amelia, giggling madly.

"Alright sophomores, it's your turn now to get some roses!" called one of the senior girls who was in charge of the roses. The girls straightened.

"Dani Westsmythe," she called. Daniella danced up to get hers. A few more names were called up, then Narcisse and Amy. Even Blythe got called up. All of the girls had 4 red roses each, as they had all bought roses for each other.

"And lastly, we have Amelia Cullen. Mia, are you here?" called the senior. Amelia stood up and the senior walked towards her with her stash of roses, "Happy Valentine's Day Mia."

"Thank you so much," she replied.

"Whoa, Mia! You have eight roses!" exclaimed Daniella.

"What?"

"Yip," confirmed Amy. Narcisse sorted through them.

"Ok, these ones are from Dan, Ams, Blythe and me. Open those two up," she urged. Amelia took the notes and opened them up. She began to read the first one out loud.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and I like you."

"Aaaaaaw," chorused the girls.

"Who's it from?" asked Blythe eagerly.

"There is no name on the card," replied Amelia, flipping it around to check.

"Open up the next one," urged Daniella.

"Happy Valentine's Day Amelia. From Steven Smith." Amelia turned around and caught Smith's eye, raising the card in acknowledgement. She mouthed 'thank you' to him. He smiled and raised his carton of fruit juice in response. The two of them were civil to each other. Although he was the one who had been mean to her back on her first day of school, he kept an eye out for her. Amelia believed that he genuinely felt remorse for what he had done.

"That's nice of him," stated Narcisse politely. The girls were less forgiving than she was.

"What do the others say?" asked Amy. Amelia scanned it and her face fell. She picked up the last one and read it too, then excused herself from the table and walked away in tears. Blythe chased after her. Daniella grabbed them and read them out loud.

" _Freak. Go and die somewhere_ ," she gasped, "This is so mean! And the other one is even nastier."

"What's going on?" Steven Smith had walked over to their table after watching Amelia walk out of the cafeteria in tears.

"Someone's written Amelia two very mean Valentine's Day notes," huffed Narcisse angrily, handing them to Steven to read for himself. He grew very angry and stomped off to the principal's office with Daniella jogging to keep up with him.

* * *

"Your parents have been called in again," stated Mr Mason. Amelia was standing at her locker, packing her things away and taking out her homework. She glanced up and groaned, then slammed her locker shut, leaning her head against it.

"Why?" she bemoaned.

"It was unnecessary of those students to be so unkind. Young Mr Smith was furious about it. He barged into the staffroom. Ironic, but he has grown quite fond of you actually. I believe he's been keeping an eye out for you?"

"Yes he has. I think he genuinely feels bad."

"I do too. He's never been a trouble maker. I do believe your parents are unhappy with the situation."

"I'd imagine so."

"How are you handling it though? You look like you're about to cry."

"It's nothing really, it's just one of those things."

"These kids giving you a hard time, angel?" asked a familiar voice. Amelia spun around.

"Sam!" she exclaimed, scarcely able to believe her eyes.

"The one and only," Samantha replied, walking up to her favourite patient and giving her a big hug. When they parted, they smiled at each other.

"Samantha Jenkins," said Samantha, shaking Mr Mason's hand, "I was Amelia's nurse back in New York."

"Colin Mason, Amelia's English teacher," he smiled back.

"Shall we go to the car so long, kiddo?"

"Ok. What brings you here though, Sammy?"

"I promised you I'd visit. Your dad phoned me and asked if I could come over. I believe he and your mom are going away tomorrow for the weekend?" said Sam, as she took Amelia's backpack and violin case from her. She handed Amelia the roses.

"Yeah. I guess Mom will be so much more at ease knowing that you're keeping an eye on me."

"That she will. It was lovely to meet you, Colin."

"Likewise, Samantha. Have a good evening. I'll see you tomorrow, Amelia."

"Bye Mr Mason!" she called, walking down the corridor with Samantha. She was exhausted from the day's events. Sam dropped her off in the front office while she walked ahead to the car. By the time she was done, she could hear Carlisle and Esme approaching, quietly comforting their daughter. Amelia was sad, but she didn't particularly wish to discuss what had happened and told her parents as much.

"Well, Blythe is coming over later on so I'm sure you'll want to get some rest before she visits," stated Carlisle as he climbed into the car after settling Amelia in the backseat. Amelia nodded, yawning widely as she did so.

"Perhaps you girls can have a sleepover while we are away?" suggested Esme. Amelia blinked sleepily and frowned, nodding off to sleep.

* * *

"How's she been doing, Esme?" asked Samantha, listening to her young patient sleeping. The rest of the family was sitting in the living room.

"We've had a few rough moments but she seems to be adjusting alright," replied Esme.

"She's very reserved. She blocks her thoughts around me," said Edward.

"She's been blocking her emotions around me too. She's very good at compartmentalising," said Jasper, nodding his head.

"By and large, it's been quite good. She's settling into her new routine. The first day of school was pretty bad, she got sick before she left and at lunch time she was bullied by a senior. The two have since become friends, well sort of, and he keeps an eye on her to make sure no one messes with her. It was him who marched into the staffroom during lunch break raving about the Valentine's notes, incidentally," said Carlisle.

"She's learning to drive. Last weekend she went out to the cinema with some of her friends. It didn't end on a high note but she still got out. The flight home was quite unpleasant. She's been avoiding public places as far as possible. Everyone stares, and whilst she pretends that it doesn't bother her, she is a sensitive teenage girl, it's only natural to get upset," concluded Esme.

"She's got a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 11am, so we'll be fetching her after second period," said Rosalie, smiling fondly at the woman who kept her baby sister's spirits up during her lengthy stay in Rochester.

"Richard Westsmythe, right? How's her port and feeding line? Has she picked up any weight?" queried Samantha.

"Yes. We resited her port the day after we arrived in Forks. Amelia was not a happy camper," said Carlisle.

"Ooh, yes. She hates the resiting. She always cries, they are very painful for her," said Samantha.

"The feeding line is alright, but I will reassess tomorrow. She hasn't picked up any weight but she hasn't lost any either. She's stable at the moment. Sadly that won't last for long."

"She's going to be back in hospital by the end of the month. I'm not sure why yet," broke in Alice.

"That's not good," said Samantha.

* * *

Amelia was waiting in the front room for Blythe to arrive. Rosalie was keeping her company.

"I can hear her approaching," said Rosalie.

"One minute," called Alice.

Blythe walked out of the trees that lined the end of the driveway. Spying Amelia, she waved at her. Amelia opened up the door and Blythe walked inside, hugging her human friend as she did so.

"Mia!"

"Blythe! It's so good to see you again. How was your afternoon?"

"It was lovely, thank you. You must be Rosalie?" she directed her question to Rosalie.

"Yes I am. It is lovely to meet you, Blythe."

The trio walked into the kitchen, where Esme and Carlisle were reading through a recipe book. Esme had made a few meals that Amelia could pop into the microwave and heat up throughout the weekend. Unbeknownst to Amelia, Alice had organised a sleepover for the five girls for the following evening. Esme and Carlisle had approved of the idea, as had Caroline. She knew enough about the Cullens to know that their kids never caused trouble and she wasn't concerned that the girls would do something inappropriate. Amelia was too sick anyway.

"Hello. You must be Blythe. I'm Esme," greeted Esme warmly, looking up from her cooking book. The two shook hands.

"It's good to see you again, Dr Casper," greeted Carlisle.

"Likewise, Dr Cullen." The rest of the family and Samantha introduced themselves.

"You're a doctor?" said Amelia in shock.

"Yes I am actually," replied Blythe, eyes shining in amusement.

"Am I missing out on a vampire meeting?" broke in a sassy voice.

"Hey Alair," chorused the Cullen children. Esme hugged her husband's favourite colleague. The two of them got on like a house on fire.

"Hey kids," she greeted, then directed her next question at Amelia, "how's my favourite human?"

"Feeling very outnumbered right now," Amelia joked. It was true. She was the only human amongst 11 vampires and Renesmee. Said eleven vampires burst out laughing.


	31. Chapter 31

"So tell us your story, Blythe," said Jasper, "It's not every day that we have four vampires proficient in health care under one roof."

The Cullens and their guests were sitting in the living room. Both Amelia and Renesmee had eaten dinner, and Edward and Bella had gone home with Renesmee. She'd had a late night the previous evening and was quite sleepy when she left. Amelia found herself sitting between Blythe and Samantha. Alair sat on Blythe's other side. Esme and Carlisle sat opposite them, hands entwined. Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper occupied the couch next to Carlisle and Esme. All attention was on the beautiful tall brunette.

"I was born in 1818 in London. My father, Jonathan Casper, moved from Germany to Britain during the Industrial Revolution around 1816. He did not plan on staying long but then he fell in love with my mother, Lillian. They were the loves of each other's lives. They married and then had me. My father started his own business, so I didn't see an awful lot of him whilst I was growing up, but any free time that he did have, he always spent with my mother and me. There was always so much love to give in our house," Blythe spoke, her eyes staring into the distance, lost in her memories of long ago.

"I remember that the most – the love. I was their only child, and spoilt I suppose. I loved them dearly and even although it has been nearly two centuries since I saw them last, I miss them every day. When I was four years old, Father received a letter from Germany informing him that his parents had passed away. He decided to return home to visit his family in Bremen, Germany. He felt that it would be better if Mother and I remained in London because it was such a long trip, but he disliked having to leave us behind," she continued, eyes bright with tears that would never fall. Amelia leaned forward and took Blythe's icy hand between her own, squeezing it gently. She smiled at her encouragingly.

"The day he left for Bremen was the last time I ever saw him."

"Oh sweetheart," exclaimed Esme, her unbeating heart breaking for Blythe.

"Mother worried dreadfully. For many months we heard nothing from him, then one day we received a letter from Father's brother informing us that Father had taken ill and perished from his illness. Mother and I were devastated, but Mother was determined to carry on and raise me such that Father would be proud of who I became. I'd like to think he is proud of all that I have achieved."

"He definitely is," broke in Carlisle, smiling warmly at the remarkable vampire whom he had helped all those centuries ago. Blythe smiled at him before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"I did not really understand the situation at the time as I was just shy of 5 when Father passed away. As I grew older, the memories faded and life was content. Mother took over the business and the money she earned went towards my education, something which was unheard of in those days. Mother was determined that I not waste my gift – from a young age it was clear that I had a gift for healing but in a time where the public remained suspicious of witchcraft, Mother and I did not mention it to anyone. The memory of the Yorkshire Witch, Mary Bateman, was all too fresh in some of our neighbours' memories. She was hung less than a decade before I was born for sorcery, murder and fraud. Anyway, my education came at a price, and some days we did go hungry. By the age of 17, I had received the best education a woman could in the 1820's and it was always my dream to become a physician. I witnessed many of them healing my neighbours when they had ailments. However, it was more important to me that Mother and I earn money and save it so that we could eat once more so I worked at the business. I was content," she let out a deep sigh, smiling at some long lost memory.

"What happened next?" questioned Alice, curiously.

"I frequented the library, and one day I met a mysterious stranger whilst I was stocking up on some books. His demeanour was one of someone who loved books as much as I did, yet he kept his distance from all of us. Looking back, I realise how obvious it was that he was immortal. Every time I went to the library, he was there. It took me months to work up the courage to speak to him. We became good friends, I was enthralled by him, and after some time, we realised that we were in love and we courted for a little while. I realise now what a difficult decision it must have been for him, but he changed me so that we could be together. He did this when I was asleep one evening and when I awoke, I was terrified. He did his best to explain to me what he had done, but I was too devastated at the thought of never seeing my mother again. I had just turned 19 and I had my entire life ahead of me. I did the only thing that I could think of doing at that point. I fled. I didn't want to be a monster, but that is what he had made me become. I did not wish to live anymore. I left England 30 years later. I kept an eye on Mother, for she was now totally alone. She was devastated by my disappearance. I wish that I had been able to say goodbye to her one last time. I buried her alongside my father and left England behind," she breathed out.

"I visit their graves when I am in town," she continued, "Killing humans was inevitable and each time I fed, I lost a part of myself. I decided to go to Germany to find my family. I had not fed in days and attacked a herd of deer in the Black Forest, which is when I discovered the vegetarian lifestyle, as you call it. When I arrived in Father's hometown, I felt at peace with all that had happened in my life. I learned German, and decided to fulfil my dreams for both of parents' sake – it was through their sacrifices that I had attained such a high level of education. It took many years of practice but I managed to resist human blood and went to college under disguise. In 1870's Germany, women were not allowed to attend college. At first, I studied at night in the library, then I started attending lectures. One night, I recognised the scent of a fellow vampire. At first I was alarmed, but then Carlisle came up to me and we became friends."

"I was more concerned that you might attack me," chuckled Carlisle, recalling the moment that he met Blythe, "but you were so fearful that I might tell the doctors that you were a female."

"But you didn't," finished Amelia.

"Of course not. Women deserve equal opportunities to men, I've always held onto that belief."

"Carlisle helped me to get the lecture materials and taught me everything he knew. He was always so kind and understanding. In many ways, he became the father that I did not have when I was growing up. After a while, he left and went to the US, no doubt where he encountered all of you?" This was posed as a question. Carlisle nodded, so did Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Alice and Jasper.

"I worked as a nurse for a while - at least it was health care of some sort. Eventually, I studied again, but this time at a college that allowed women to become doctors. I lived elsewhere in Europe for a while, but now I am back in Germany. I thought of you very much, Carlisle, and still do. You were a good friend to me when I had no one. I will always be grateful for that."

"You're very welcome, Blythe. It was a pleasure getting to know you back in the 19th century. I thought of you as a daughter. You are always welcome here - there is always a place for you in our family."

"We can be sisters!" squealed Alice. Blythe just laughed and shook her head.

"Someday, perhaps. I do however expect you to visit me one day, perhaps when Amelia is better," she nudged her friend as she spoke.

"Tell us a little about your gift," urged Alair.

"I see that we have similar gifts," stated Blythe, smiling the dark-skinned woman who sat next to her.

"Mine is limited to minor injuries."

"Mine is not. I have the ability to heal anyone, no matter how ill they are. It's hard – sometimes you have to make snap decisions. It's horrid when I lose a patient and know that I could have saved them," her voice faded into silence. She focused on Carlisle.

"In theory, could you heal me?" queried Amelia, coughing as she spoke. It was a question that the rest of the Cullen family were desperate to ask but did not ask for fear of hurting Amelia's sensitive feelings.

"Yes I could."

"Wow."

* * *

Amelia had excused herself to use the restroom. While she was gone, Esme made her a cup of tea and Carlisle brought some blankets. It was their last night with their daughter before their informal little trip to Seattle and they were going to spend some cuddle time with her, come hell or high water. Amelia detoured past the kitchen to grab a snack, smiling when she saw both of her parents standing in the kitchen.

"Having fun?" asked Carlisle.

"I do love hearing everyone's stories," replied Amelia, "sometimes they are not very pleasant but I think it helps you get to know them a little better."

"Shall we go back inside?" queried Esme. Amelia nodded and Carlisle scooped his daughter up in his arms and carried her into the longue, despite her protests. He deposited her between himself and Esme, and covered her with a blanket. Amelia automatically snuggled closer to her mother, gripping her tea cup tightly between her hands and downing it. It was Alair's turn to tell her story.

"I was on my way home from college, having just graduated as a nurse. I was attacked and turned. I didn't realise at first what was wrong. I woke up in a forest near the Canadian border. I remember the thirst being so overwhelming and attacking a bear. That's when I started to realise what exactly had happened to me and I was repulsed, you could say. I spent a year as a nomad in Canada and Alaska. I visited Greenland too. I'd always enjoyed medicine. It was tough but I tried to interact with humans as much as I could to get immune to the scent so that I could get back to doing what I loved."

"That must have been hard," commented Amelia. She had shifted again and was lying with her head in her mother's lap. Esme was absentmindedly tracing the outline of her daughter's face. Carlisle glanced at Amelia and shifted so that she could stretch out more.

"It was, sweets. I came across an accident when I was still a nomad and that was the first time that I healed someone. It wasn't a serious accident, but the person was concussed and unconscious and had a few cuts on his face. He woke up amazed that he was unscathed," Alair chuckled at the memory.

"What happened then?" asked Rosalie, enthusiastically.

"I realised that I was not affected by the blood as much as I had expected and moved here three years ago. I've been working at Forks Hospital ever since, and with Carlisle for almost as long. I was quite surprised to be assigned so quickly to Carlisle," remarked Alair.

Carlisle coughed delicately. "I may have gently, uh, persuaded one or two important people that I needed you on my service."

Alair blinked. "Somehow, that doesn't actually surprise me."

The family dissolved into laughter.

"What about your story, Samantha?" asked Emmett, focussing his attention on the slender blonde vampire who had been quiet for most of the evening.

"I think we ought to save it for another time. Amelia's almost asleep," she replied, gesturing towards the sleepy teenager.

"I'm fine," Amelia countered sleepily, yawning widely. She didn't open her eyes and swatted her hand about wildly.

"Uh huh," said Alair sassily, causing further laughter from the Cullens and their guests.

"I think it's bedtime for the human," announced Alice. Amelia merely grunted in response, too tired to give a hoot. Esme helped Amelia to her feet and guided her out of the room, then carried her up the stairs. A sleepy Amelia and two flights of stairs was a recipe for disaster she had discovered. Both Carlisle and Esme tucked their youngest child into bed and sat with her until she fell asleep, which didn't take long.

"I'm going to miss her," whispered Esme, leaning down to kiss her daughter.

"Me too," replied Carlisle, "but the weekend will be over before you know it."

"I hope so."


	32. Chapter 32

"I took the liberty of getting this for you," spoke Mr Mason, placing a folder on Amelia's desk. She was the first person in class that dreary Friday morning. She glanced at it and opened it up.

"Thanks Mr Mason. I do appreciate this greatly," she replied. Mr Mason had collected her homework for the day for the classes that she would be missing. She had submitted her physics assignment a day early because of the appointment, but it had not occurred to her to ask for the work the previous day. Instead, she had asked her friends to collect it for her.

"You're welcome, Amelia. What time is your doctor's appointment?"

"It's at 10.30 with Dr Westsmythe. Afterwards, my mom and dad are leaving for Seattle for the weekend. My dad surprised my mom for her birthday, but she is not so keen on going I think."

"Why ever not?" asked Mr Mason.

"I'm not exactly the picture of perfect health, and she doesn't want to leave me alone. I think it's a good idea that she goes now before I get worse, but our time together is very limited and I think that she wants to make every last minute count," she replied wryly.

"That's one way of putting it. Are you anxious about today's appointment?"

"A little bit. It's only been two weeks since I left hospital so there should not be too much of a change."

"But you can't continue like this," he stated.

"A transplant is my only option," she stated quietly, removing the nasal cannula and blowing her nose, before readjusting it. It was somewhat frustrating having to have this conversation once again.

"That's quite a big surgery to have to go through," he commented, frowning at her.

"It's too big a surgery for my body to handle. I'd hate for a good set of lungs to go to waste like that."

"You took your name off the list, didn't you?" he said quietly, his heart breaking for the Cullen family. The dark-haired beauty sitting in front of him nodded sadly.

"What about your family?"

"Carlisle and Esme knew of my decision before they adopted me. I asked them many times if they were sure about the adoption," she said, slightly defensive.

"How long do you think you have left?"

"I've been told that I'll be gone by Christmas. This semester will be my last one. I won't be returning for Junior year."

Mr Mason inhaled deeply in surprise. The ringing of the school bell cut short their conversation, something for which Amelia was most grateful.

* * *

English and music passed quickly and before Amelia knew it, she was in the car and on her way to Forks Hospital with her mother. Carlisle was meeting them there.

"How are you feeling about today's appointment?" queried Esme, glancing at her daughter.

"Kind of indifferent I guess," she replied thoughtfully, "it's pretty routine, right?"

"Your dad wants to intercept any problems now so that we can avoid you being in hospital on your birthday," said Esme without thinking.

"I'm going to be in hospital on my birthday again?" she asked in surprise. Esme groaned inwardly.

"I'm afraid so, sweetheart," she replied, "Alice has seen it happening."

Amelia nodded and stared out the window. Esme knew that she was fighting back tears.

"My first birthday in thirteen years with people who love me and I get to spend it in hospital. Well, that's just great," she murmured to herself, forgetting that Esme could hear her. Esme chose not to reply, instead leaning across the console to take her daughter's hand and squeeze it gently.

* * *

"Okay Amelia, take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out," instructed Dr Westsmythe. Amelia did as she was instructed.

"Take a deep breath please, Amelia," he repeated, "you can do better than that."

"I can't actually," she whispered, before coughing violently. Samantha glanced at her and held her hand.

"Her chest doesn't sound any better than two weeks ago," Dr Westsmythe remarked to Carlisle.

"No it doesn't," agreed Carlisle, watching Amelia turn red in the face while coughing. He put an emesis bowl in front of her and tapped her back to help her dislodge the phlegm that was choking her. Alair walked into the examination room and pulled a face at Richard Westsmythe. He was annoying both her and Amelia, and it brought a small smile to Amelia's face to see that someone else was as fed up with him as she was.

"Don't get up just yet, Mia bug, you're probably feeling pretty dizzy from all that deep breathing," she said, "plus we just need to check your feeding tube real quick. Don't be sick on me, ok?"

"Her lung function is still stable at 28%, but she's lost 3 pounds. I want to try a different medication and see if it works," continued Dr Westsmythe. He was whispering to Carlisle and Esme and it was seriously starting to annoy Amelia.

"Could you speak up please, Dr Westsmythe? I can't hear you so well," she said sweetly.

"This does not concern you, Amelia," he replied.

"On the contrary, it does," she countered, sitting up in bed and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"As your doctor, I'm explaining my findings to your father, and he will explain them to you in a more understandable manner. I am very busy at the moment, I have another patient who requires my attention and I don't have the time to explain every medical term to you," he said shortly. Carlisle frowned at his colleague's behaviour, and glanced at his daughter, well aware that she was now seconds away from snapping.

"And I am the one who is your patient, not your esteemed colleague, _Doctor_ Westsmythe, Moreover, if you were as busy as you say you are, then we could have rescheduled this appointment. Lastly, this may come as a shock to you but I am willing to bet that I know more about this disease than you ever will. So you can take your bright ideas about different drug protocols and zip it, because I've tried them all and none of them have worked. In case you didn't read my file, I got sent to the top CF expert in the country because no one knew what to do with me anymore," she finally lost her temper, glared at him and opened her mouth to say something further, but shut it again when Esme caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow. Amelia rolled her eyes and got off the examination bed, stomping out of the room and walking to the nearest bathroom. Samantha looked at Dr Westsmythe in disgust and followed Amelia.

"You haven't read her file in depth, have you?" asked Carlisle.

"Haven't had the chance to," Dr Westsmythe replied honestly, frowning, "I'm sorry for my attitude just now. I shouldn't have snapped like that."

"Don't worry about it, I apologise for Amelia's behaviour."

"She had every right to snap, I'd do the same in her situation."

"Don't waste your time with changing her protocols. She's given up fighting. Esme and I just want her to be comfortable for her last few months."

"I can tell you right now that attending school is going to become an impossibility for her quite soon."

"It doesn't surprise me to hear that. Look, go and see your other patient. We can chat about this again. In the meantime I am going to conference call her doctor in New York and update her. Would you like to join me?"

"Give me fifteen minutes. This patient came in with all the symptoms of a myocardial infarct but the ECG isn't showing anything abnormal. It looks like a strained muscle or angina pectoris but I'm still concerned," he said. With that, he left the room. Carlisle glanced at Esme.

"Amelia-" Esme began.

"Was well within her right to tell him off," he said firmly, cutting Esme off, "he was very rude to her. She is the patient, it's her body and it's her health. Remember our conversation in New York? Listen to her."

* * *

"Ignore him, Mia," advised Samantha. The two of them were sitting in the floor of the staff locker room. Amelia had thrown up yet again and was lying on the cool tiled floors, crying once more.

"I feel bad that I embarrassed Esme and Carlisle like that," she sniffled, pulling herself into an upright position.

"They are not mad, I promise. Richard has apologised to them but I feel that he owes you an apology as well," replied Samantha, handing Amelia some toilet paper so that she could blow her nose, and holding her close. She could hear Esme approaching, "Your mom's coming."

Amelia scrunched up her nose in response. "Can't we just go home now?"

* * *

"Goodbye Amelia," said Carlisle, hugging his youngest daughter close. It was noon and the entire family plus Samantha were lined up on the front steps. Renesmee and Esme were standing close by, hugging each other tight and exchanging farewells. Esme had hugged everyone thus far except for Amelia, saving the best for last as she had put it.

"Goodbye Dad. I hope that you and Mom have a good trip. I love you."

"I am sure that we will. Goodbye Amelia, I love you," he smiled, before letting her go and moving towards the car and opening up Esme's door for her, "we are going to be late if you don't hurry, Es!" he teased. Esme let go of Renesmee and hopped into the car. Carlisle closed the door behind her and got in himself, turning on the ignition and driving off. Renesmee stood in the middle of the driveway and waved them off until the car disappeared from view.

Amelia slowly walked inside the house and went up to her bedroom, shutting her door behind her and climbing into bed. Esme had not appeared to be mad with her after her outburst from this morning, so Amelia couldn't quite understand why her mother had not even said goodbye to her. A tear rolled its way down her cheek and she wiped it away furiously. She was just being sensitive. Perhaps Esme had forgotten or was just too rushed to hug her. Yes, that must be it. They were pressed for time and had left in a hurry. Her mother still loved her, right? Amelia's tired brain did not register the squealing tyres outside her window, the flurry of activity outside and the knock at her bedroom door. She was already drifting off, and awoke with a start when her door was thrown open and a pair of icy arms hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart!" exclaimed Esme, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"S'ok," she blinked sleepily, yawning widely, "bye Mom, have a nice trip. See you on Sunday. Love you lots."

"I love you too, baby girl. Have fun."

Amelia nodded and Esme let her go, tucking her back into bed. Amelia was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

"Goodbye sweetheart," she whispered, as she kissed her daughter's forehead. She stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Thanks Edward," she called as she raced downstairs and back outside to the car.

"You're welcome," he called in response.


	33. Chapter 33

"Thank you, Carlisle," said Esme as she climbed back into the car.

"You're welcome, Es," he replied as he sped off down the driveway.

"I can't believe I forgot."

"I shouldn't have rushed you. I thought you had said goodbye to her though. I'm sorry."

"No worries, Carlisle. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

"Your wish is my command, milady," he replied, leaning across the console to give her a kiss. They held hands and drove out of Forks. A little while later, Esme broke the silence.

"Do you think Amelia's alright?"

"She'll be just fine, Esme. Samantha is with her, Alair is on standby, Blythe is spending the night and Dr Westsmythe will be called in the event of an emergency. And that is just from a medical perspective. All of the kids are home and they will be keeping an eye on her. She needs her space too, I worry sometimes that we are helicopter parents because we hover too much."

"How did we get so lucky? The kids get on so well, it's hard to remember that a month ago Amelia was not officially part of the family. It's like she was never not a part of our family."

"I agree. She fits in so well. She was meant to be a Cullen."

"I miss her already. My baby girl is all alone," wailed Esme.

"Esme, she is going to be fine. You can phone her later, she's probably sleeping now. She's not alone. Just survive tonight and tomorrow night and we can leave early on Sunday, ok? Please love, it's your birthday. Let me spoil you."

* * *

"Wake up, Mia bug!" exclaimed Alice, bouncing up and down Amelia's bed in excitement. Amelia awoke with a start. She blinked sleepily at her sister, frowned, and then rolled over.

"Alice!" groaned Amelia, as Alice pulled off the covers.

"Alice, let me handle this," said Samantha, walking into Amelia's room, "Mia, it's time for physio and then we can do some homework."

"Okay Sam. What time is it?"

"It's 2.30pm. You slept for more than two hours my dear."

"What? Wow."

Physio was the usual boring and tiring affair, and afterwards Samantha and Amelia sat down to finish her homework. Afterwards, at around 4pm, Amelia sat in the kitchen, munching on an apple. Amelia vaguely heard Emmett and Rosalie pulling into the garage, then doors slamming and some familiar giggles. She frowned and looked towards the door. Four giggling teenagers walked in, armed with overnight bags, squealing in excitement when they spied their friend.

"Mia!" they chorused.

"Hey guys!" she exclaimed cheerfully, standing up to hug each of her friends in turn.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Daniella, somewhat delayed. The five of them packed out laughing.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Amelia when they had all recovered enough.

"Alice organised a surprise sleepover for you. We're spending the night," said Blythe.

"We brought popcorn, DVDs, snacks and our PJ's," broke in Amy, brandishing her packet of food.

"Your house is so pretty," said Narcisse dreamily.

"What do you guys want to do first? Narcisse, do you want a tour?"

"Yes please!"

Amelia showed her friends around the Cullen mansion. She took a small amount of pride in that it was her house. For the first time ever, she was proud to bring a friend home, not that she had had many before, and show them where she lived with her family. _Family._ The word still gave her a shiver every time she realised that she did indeed have a family. Sometimes she wondered if it was all just a dream, and that if she pinched herself, she might wake up.

* * *

"He's so hot," exclaimed Amy, shovelling popcorn into her mouth as the end credits rolled along the screen. Renesmee, who had joined in on the movie evening, nodded approvingly.

"Uh huh," agreed Daniella.

Just then Alice walked in.

"We've ordered pizza for you guys for dinner. Why don't you girls go have a shower quickly? The pizza guys will be here in about half an hour," she stated.

"Sounds great," said Amelia, leading her friends upstairs to her bedroom. Her friends took turns to use her bathroom, while Rosalie led her to her own bathroom and helped her wash her hair quickly. The sight of Blythe in fluffy Minnie Mouse pyjamas with matching slippers was enough to set Amelia off on a laughing fit, the irony was hilarious in her opinion. Blythe winked at her, before grabbing her hand and sauntering off to the TV room where the others were sitting, arguing which pizza flavour was the best.

"Mia, Bee, which topping is better – salami and mushroom or ham and pineapple?" demanded Amy.

"I'm going to go with margherita," grinned Amelia, picking up a slice of margherita pizza and taking a bite.

"Likewise," giggled Blythe, picking up a slice and putting it on a plate. Amelia dimmed the lights and turned on the next film. She was sitting on the couch next to Blythe, on the couch next to them sat Amy and Narcisse. Daniella was stretched out on the beanbag in front of them. Blythe handed her the plate of pizza. For the sake of keeping up appearances, she had taken a slice but handed it over to Amelia as soon as she could.

The door opened and Renesmee tiptoed in, joining them on the couch. Amelia automatically shifted to the side so that her niece might sit next to her. The girls were not very close yet, but got on quite well. Edward suspected that it was because they lived separately to the others and Amelia didn't have as much contact with them as she did with the others. Regardless, they were good friends and for now, it was enough.

The evening passed quickly. Edward, Bella and Renesmee left at 8pm to get Renesmee ready for bed. The girls cleaned up the TV room and went up to Amelia's bedroom. It was time for some girly gossip.

"So Mia, any idea who sent you that anonymous Valentine?" asked Narcisse, eyes shining brightly.

"No, should I know?" she replied, glancing to the Valentine's roses that sat in a vase on the windowsill between her desk and her music stand.

"We heard a rumour," began Daniella enthusiastically.

"Okay?" responded Amelia, phrasing it more like a question than a statement.

"Uh huh. My sources inform me that a certain physics partner may very likely have had something to do with that."

"Who, Michael?" asked Amelia in surprise.

"The very one," confirmed Amy, nodding and grinning widely. The girls burst out laughing when they caught sight of Amelia's face.

"Huh. Who'd have thought?" mused Amelia, gobsmacked.

"Someone likes my baby sister?" thundered Emmett, charging into the room with Jasper, Alice and Rosalie hot on his heels. He went into Amelia's closet and came out with the t-shirt he had gotten her on her first day in Forks, the one with his face emblazoned on it, and thrust it at her, "You will be wearing this on Monday, Amelia Grace Theodore."

"Yes Emmy Bear," replied Amelia, raising an eyebrow at her often annoying, but lovable and kind big brother.

"Get out, Emmett, Jasper," instructed Alice, pushing the two out the door and shutting it behind them.

"Tell us everything," encouraged Rosalie, taking a seat next to Amelia.

* * *

Blythe padded softly out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Amelia, Narcisse, Daniella and Amy had long since fallen asleep. She made her way downstairs to where Alice and Rosalie were sitting. Jasper and Emmett had gone hunting.

"What's up, Blythe?" said Alice as Blythe entered the room.

"Nothing much. What are you guys doing?"

"We are watching a film. Join us."

* * *

"I'm stumped as to what to get Amelia for her birthday," stated Esme. It was close on midnight and she was missing Amelia. She and Carlisle were lying in each other's arms, her head resting on his chest. Carlisle was absentmindedly playing with her hair.

"Well we do have a few things already for her," began Carlisle.

"I know. But small things are also nice. Token gifts."

"What about a photo album? We can give her some photos that Alice has been taking, and leave the rest blank so that she can build one up and make her own memories with her friends, and with us. I don't want her to completely forget her human life, although some aspects are perhaps best left forgotten," he suggested.

"That's a nice idea. I like that one. Perhaps we can look for a nice album in the morning?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said, bending down to capture his wife's lips.


	34. Chapter 34

"It's time for physio, Mia," whispered Samantha, awakening the sleepy teen. Amelia woke up, coughing as quietly as she could. Samantha scooped her up in her arms and ran her to Carlisle's study where she could cough to her heart's content. Blythe strolled in afterwards and kept her friend company during the gruelling morning physio. The trio walked downstairs afterwards, and Amelia found herself engulfed in a hug, courtesy of Emmett.

"Hey big guy," she greeted, resting her head against his chest for a few moments, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Morning lil' sis," he replied, leading her to the couch, "I made you some tea."

Amelia eyed it speculatively. "Should I be scared?" she queried, remembering only too well the one and only time Emmett had tried to make her a cup of tea. It had tasted revolting, but she had politely drunk the entire thing and told him it was delicious. He had cheerfully left the room to bring her another cup, and the family had just about collapsed with laughter at the horrified look on her face. Fortunately, Esme had intervened and banned Emmett from making tea again.

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p' as he spoke. Amelia sniffed it tentatively, and very delicately took a sip. "It's not poisoned, for goodness sake!" he exclaimed.

"It's actually not too bad," she said, before taking another sip, "Did Rosie make this?"

"No, I did," he insisted, before snatching the cup out of her hands and launching a tickle attack on his very ticklish little sister. The sound of Amelia squealing and giggling loudly was all Carlisle and Esme could hear over the phone. Alice had phoned them and put it on speaker, because they missed Amelia and she missed them so they were going to have a little chat. In Seattle, Carlisle and Esme smiled contently at the sound of their sickest child having a moment of carefreeness. They held each other a little closer and shared yet another brief kiss. Their daughter was special, she had become the glue that held their family together and to lose her would be something that none of them would ever get over.

"Emmett, stop!" she gasped, trying to catch her breath. Emmett immediately stopped and held Amelia upright while she coughed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," called Esme and Carlisle. Amelia blinked and looked around her. Alice handed her the phone.

"Morning Mom, Dad," she greeted, still giggling a little.

"How are you, sweetheart? We miss you so much," said Esme.

"I miss you guys too, but I had a lot of fun last night. Thanks for letting the girls stay over," she replied cheerfully.

"You're welcome sweetheart. I am glad to hear that you had fun," said Carlisle.

"How are you guys enjoying your trip?" she queried, taking a sip of tea.

"It's been nice so far. Yesterday we went for a walk, today we are going to do a little shopping."

"A walk? Are you sure that you just went for a walk?" said Emmett, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"That sounds lovely," said Amelia, cutting him off before he could say anything further. She glared at him. He smiled back proudly.

"It was, sweetheart. I wish you could be here with us," said Esme, wistfully.

"You guys needed the break," she replied, "but it's just one more sleep until I see you guys again. What time are you coming back tomorrow?"

"Probably early afternoon," replied Carlisle.

"Cool."

Just then Daniella, Amy and Narcisse wandered into the longue, wiping the sleep from their eyes. They called a greeting to Carlisle and Esme, and trudged into the kitchen for a much-needed caffeine fix.

"I'd better get going," said Amelia, "I miss you guys. Have a fabulous day and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye sweetheart," chorused Carlisle and Esme, "we love you."

"Love you guys too." With that, Amelia handed the phone back to Alice, who eagerly bounded up the stairs to chat to Carlisle and Esme, and fill them in on the latest vision that she had had.

"Did you guys sleep well?" queried Amelia, walking into the kitchen and taking cups out of the cupboard so that she could fix a drink for her friends. Narcisse groaned, she had her head resting on her arms. Amy was slouched against the wall, trying to wake up. Daniella was hunting for some sugar.

"Yes we did, thanks," she replied chirpily. Amy and Narcisse grunted in response, "excuse them. They aren't morning people." Amy and Narcisse groaned in agreement. Blythe entered the kitchen in sports gear.

"You went and _exercised_?" exclaimed Daniella in surprise. Blythe grinned and grabbed some water from the fridge.

"Yes I did. Good to get the blood flowing this early in the morning. I love my morning runs," she replied, opening up the bottle and pretending to take a sip. Amelia, who was spooning sugar into the mugs, snorted loudly, but disguised it with a cough. Blythe lobbed a dishcloth at her, and the trio collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"You must be careful when you run, especially if you run through the forest," began Daniella seriously, "there are grizzly bears and mountain lions in there. Apparently there are these massive wolves there too."

"I'll be careful, I promise," said Blythe smoothly, eyes sparkling with amusement. Amelia coughed again to hide her amusement. The golden-coloured eyes told her all she needed to know. Blythe had no doubt been snacking on the very creatures that Daniella was warning her about. As for the massive wolves, Amelia and Blythe both knew that they were the shapeshifters, Jacob's pack. Blythe had yet to meet them, but she had heard about them earlier this morning when she had sat chatting to Alice and Rosalie and was interested in meeting them.

* * *

"What would you girls like for breakfast?" asked Rosalie, poking her head into Amelia's bedroom where five teenaged girls were in varying stages of undress. It was 10am and tummies were starting to rumble.

"We can sort ourselves out," replied Amelia, smiling at Rosalie, "shame, you really don't have to go to all this trouble, Rose."

"No you will not!" shrieked Alice, barging into the room, "It's not often that I get to cook, you know how Esme is, and you know how much I love to do it."

"Perhaps if you woke up earlier, you could beat her to it," replied Rosalie airily.

"Waffles or pancakes?" asked Alice, ignoring Rosalie. Rosalie rolled her eyes and Blythe and Amelia giggled silently.

"Waffles please," chorused the girls. Rosalie nodded.

"Amelia, you are so not wearing that," exclaimed Alice, walking towards Amelia's closet and pulling out an outfit. She shut the door and thrust the clothes at her.

"Do you want some help?" asked Rosalie. Amelia nodded gratefully. Alice left to go and make breakfast, and Rosalie helped her get dressed.

"Your feeding tube site is looking a little red, does it hurt?" she whispered so that only Amelia and Blythe could hear her. Blythe glanced up and watched the exchange.

"A little bit, but only if you touch it. I think it got aggravated last night, I woke up scratching it for some reason," whispered Amelia in return. Rosalie and Blythe could hear Samantha coming up the stairs, she had heard the exchange and was coming to take a look.

"Bring her to the study," instructed Samantha, opening up the study door and entering it.

"Girls, I'm just going to take Amelia next door. Her feeding tube is looking a little unhappy so we want to have a look at it under better light," explained Rosalie, "we'll meet you downstairs."

"Ok," replied Daniella, anxiously looking at her friend.

"I'm fine, honestly," replied Amelia, "it's a little aggravated, it happens all the time."

The girls quickly got dressed and went downstairs. Blythe remained upstairs, explaining that she just wanted to use the bathroom quickly and would meet them downstairs. When they were out of earshot, she walked into the study.

"It's not infected," said Samantha, after examining it thoroughly, "just very red."

"Mia, do you mind if I take a look?" queried Blythe.

"Go right ahead."

Blythe examined the tube site as well. She then placed her hands over it and closed her eyes, concentrating on it. A soft, golden glow appeared on her hands and Amelia could not help but gasp when the tube site suddenly got warm. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, just one that she was not expecting. Rosalie held her hand and Amelia gripped it.

"There you go. That should feel a lot better," said Blythe, opening her eyes and smiling at Amelia. She removed her hands and Samantha took a look. Not a hint of redness surrounded the tube, and the skin itself around the tube looked healthier than it had in months. Gone was the puckering.

"Wow," said Samantha in awe.

"Thanks Blythe," said Amelia.

"You're welcome. Have you considered getting it removed seeing that you aren't taking parenteral nutrition?" queried Blythe, as she helped Amelia to sit up.

"It's only a matter of time before I go back to taking it," replied Amelia, pulling her shirt down and swinging her legs off the bed, "and I prefer this to having a tube stuck down my nose. It's easier and doesn't aggravate my chest, and now that I have this darn nasal cannula, it doesn't interfere with it either."

"Fair enough."

"Alice has breakfast ready, Mia. Let's get you something to eat before you go all hypoglycaemic on us again," said Rosalie. Amelia shuddered, recalling the event on Wednesday morning where she had inadvertently let her blood sugar levels drop too low and had started shaking. Fortunately, Carlisle had been at home and swiftly dealt with the situation. Amelia was not a poorly controlled Diabetic by any means, but it was becoming harder for her to control it as her body started to fail. Carlisle and Alair were worried that her blood sugar levels might drop low enough to put her in a hypoglycaemic coma and were keeping a very close eye on her.

* * *

"Bye Mia, thank you for such a lovely visit," exclaimed Narcisse, tightly hugging her friend.

"Thank you so much for having us," agreed Amy, copying the action.

"Thanks Mia," echoed Daniella. The girls were packing their things in the boot. Daniella's father had come to fetch them all. They were going to a birthday party of one of their former classmates after this, Cassie. Cassie's family had moved to Seattle in the summer vacation and the girls had kept in touch. Amelia had heard about her, but obviously had not met her. She promised to meet her the next time she came to Forks.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Amelia," apologised Dr Westsmythe.

"Me too, Dr Westsmythe," replied Amelia, "shall we agree to put this behind us?"

He nodded and they shook hands. There was no need to dwell on what had occurred the previous day. He headed off to the car. Samantha and Rosalie came to stand next to her, Rosalie putting a protective arm on her shoulder. Amelia sighed and leaned into Rosalie, her head touching her big sister's shoulder. Rosalie planted a kiss on her forehead. Samantha smiled at this exchange. Two months ago, her young patient had shied away from this kind of contact. Amelia really had blossomed since she moved to Forks, and Samantha was happy for her. They waved the girls off and went inside.


	35. Chapter 35

"Hey Mia!" called Seth cheerfully, jumping off the porch to come and help his friend out of the car. They had not seen each other since the movie day, and had not had the opportunity to spend much time together. Edward, Bella and Renesmee had driven down to the reservation and brought Amelia and Blythe with them. Jacob had been bothering them about bringing her to meet the pack. Jacob and Sam had put aside their differences and recreated their large pack, with Jacob at the helm as true alpha of the pack. The tension of the previous year and a half had all but dissipated. Certain aspects of the treaty remained intact, but the Cullens and the Quileutes now felt enough at ease with each other to move about freely on each other's land. The Cullens would never consider hunting on Quileute land, and the Quileutes trusted that they wouldn't.

"Hey Seth," grinned Amelia, hugging her friend and then turning to Blythe, "this is Blythe Casper, she's a friend of ours."

"I've heard a lot about you, Blythe. It's great to meet you at last, Nessie had been speaking about you loads," grinned Seth, immediately giving Blythe a hug. The fact that the Cullens and Alair, and now Blythe as well, were vampire had never bothered him. Edward had remarked more than once that Seth had one of the purest souls he had ever encountered.

"It's lovely to meet you, Seth," replied Blythe sincerely. Neither of them seemed to be affected by the scents that the other was so powerfully exuding. Bella, Edward and Renesmee walked towards Charlie and Sue, who had also tagged along and were exchanging pleasantries. Amelia and Blythe followed Seth into Billy's house. It was easier to all meet up there as Billy was in a wheelchair and Amelia would not be able to walk to Sam and Emily's house either.

"Hey guys, this is Mia Cullen, and her friend, Blythe," announced Seth, as he walked up onto the porch where the others were standing around. Leah came up to Amelia and also gave her a hug, she was fond of the sickly young girl.

"Good to see you again, Mia," she said with a smile.

"Likewise, Leah," replied Amelia.

"Girls, this is Billy Black, Jacob's father, and one of the elders of the tribe," said Seth, gesturing to Billy. Amelia and Blythe both shook Billy's hand and bobbed their head downwards in respect.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mr Black," said Amelia. Blythe echoed the sentiment.

"Welcome girls. It's great to finally meet you, Amelia Grace. Young Renesmee had been speaking of you a lot. And it is lovely to meet you as well, Blythe."

"This is my mother, Sue Clearwater, and of course, you know Chief Swan," continued Seth.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Charlie?" groaned Charlie as Sue smiled serenely at the human and vampire in front of her, "hello Blythe."

"Hello Chief Swa- Charlie," Blythe corrected herself when she caught sight of the look on Charlie's face. She couldn't help but laugh.

"This is Sam and Emily, Jared, Paul, Quil and Embry," concluded Seth, pointing out everyone else in the room, "there are more of us, but the little ones are busy doing homework. Oh, and I'm Seth," he pointed to himself.

Amelia giggled at him and blushed. Leah threw a cushion at him and the assortment of human, vampire and shapeshifter made themselves comfortable and spent a fun few hours on the reservation, getting to know each other better and welcoming Amelia to their family. It was clear at the end of the afternoon that Amelia was well-liked by the pack, and had a dozen more people to add to her list of people to call should she ever need help. She got on especially well with Emily, scarcely noticing the scars that run down her face. Amelia thoroughly enjoyed herself, although it was obvious that she was exhausted because she fell asleep in the car on the way home.

* * *

"Will you tell me your story now, Sammy?" asked Amelia. It was bedtime and she was bathed, fed and now lying in bed. All of her siblings and Blythe had come to say goodnight to her and now it was just her and Samantha in her bedroom. Samantha hung up a bag of feeds on an IV stand that she had retrieved from Carlisle's study and connected it to the feeding line protruding from Amelia's abdomen.

It had been decided that Amelia would need to be put back on to her night feeds. In spite of her denial, she had lost weight since being discharged from hospital. Carlisle argued that she needed to gain weight if she were to stand a fighting chance against the next infection that ravaged her lungs, and she had to admit that he was right, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

"Okay mischief, get comfortable because it's going to take a while," said Samantha, coming to sit next to her. Amelia did as she was told.

"I was born Bronwyn Jenkins in Wales in 1895," she began.

"That's the year x-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen!" broke in Amelia, excitedly.

"Yes it was. I grew up as the eldest child of a farmer and his wife. I had two younger brothers, Aeron and Llewelyn, and a twin sister. My sister, Gaenor, died from fever when we were just four years old. My mother never really got over it and she perished when I was ten. I'd like to think that she and Gaenor are together now and at peace. Life was tough, my father needed our help on the farm and we did as we were told. I was left to cook and look after my father and my brothers. I was married at 18, not an uncommon practice in those days, and lived with my husband nearby to my family home."

"You were married?"

"Yes I was, and I was happy too. We planned to start a family, but then war broke out. Phylip did not return. It was 1918 and I was devastated. I was a war widow and it finally hit me that he was gone about a month after the war ended. I was 23. By the time I was 28, I had moved back in with my father and took care of him. Both Aeron and Llewelyn married and had children of their own so it was just the two of us. Father died when I was 30. I was returning from the funeral when it happened. It was late and it was dark, typical Welsh weather, really. I was attacked and bitten, no doubt by a weak and thirsty vampire. I managed to make my way home and when the transformation was complete, I was surprised to hear that the childhood stories of a creepy vampire living in the old churchyard were actually true. We may have lost some cattle that day," Samantha grinned at the memory.

"Long story short, here I am today."

"Wow."

Samantha laughed. "It's time for you to go to sleep now, young lady," she said as she tapped her young patient on the nose. Amelia scrunched up her nose and obediently shifted until she was lying properly in bed.

"Night Sammy," she yawned.

"Night Mia," replied Samantha, smoothing the covers and tucking Amelia into bed properly, "sweet dreams."

Samantha left the room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Amelia struggled to fall asleep. It seemed like hours had passed and still she lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, let's go," replied Esme. It was 2am on Sunday morning and Esme was having a tough time being away from Amelia. She had begged Carlisle to let her go home, and eventually he had caved – he too was missing his youngest daughter and was concerned for her wellbeing. They packed up their things in record time and made their way to the front desk.

"Leaving so soon?" queried the lady behind the front desk, frowning.

"I am afraid so. Our youngest daughter is very ill at the moment and we need to get home immediately," stated Carlisle, anxiety creeping into his voice. Esme bore a similar expression. The receptionist nodded, and called the valet to bring the car up from the parking garage to the entrance to the hotel.

In a matter of minutes, the Cullen parental figures were on their way home. Driving at their preferred speed of dangerously fast for humans, they were home by 4am, halted only by a police road block caused by a high speed motor accident. They pulled into the garage and switched off the car. Rosalie greeted them at the door and Emmett and Carlisle took the suitcases out of the boot of the car. Alice and Jasper had gone hunting with Blythe and Samantha.

As soon as Esme was out of the car, she raced inside and took a moment to listen to her surroundings – the hum of the refrigerator, the usual creeks of the house and an oxygen concentrator clicking and humming. She was instantly soothed by the sound of a human heart struggling to beat properly and ragged breathing, punctuated by frequent coughing, the sounds that were so uniquely Amelia. The sounds were a sort of music to her ears, a symphony of life and humanity, harmonising with the omnipresent and impending sickening sense that death lurked just around the corner, waiting to claim Amelia as his own. It struck Esme once again just how fragile her human daughter was. Speaking of, Amelia was asleep. Emmett came up behind her and gave her a hug.

"See? She's alright," he stated. Esme nodded and ran upstairs to see for herself. She was so focused on seeing Amelia that she failed to listen and realise that her youngest daughter was not in her bedroom, and got a shock when she found the bed empty. Panic briefly set in, before she followed the sound and scent of her daughter, quickly realising that it led straight to her and Carlisle's bedroom.

Gently, she pushed the door open and was greeted to the sight of her teenage daughter lying in the middle of their king-sized bed, hugging Carlisle's pillow to herself and adopting Esme's pillow as her own. She sighed softly, and tenderly smiled at the sleeping form of her youngest daughter. Amelia's oxygen line was tangled around her hands and the feeding line snaked out from under her pyjamas. Esme observed that Amelia was lacking a duvet and she wondered briefly if she was cold.

"Rosalie said that she struggled to fall asleep, so she came into your bedroom and was out like a light within five minutes. She misses you dreadfully. The pillow smells like you, and it always soothes her," whispered Carlisle, coming up behind her and kissing her neck. Esme turned her head and met his lips with her own. They separated and Esme went to get into her pyjamas, while Carlisle switched off the feeds, with the intention of disconnected the feeds from the tube when Amelia awoke in about an hour or so.

Esme joined Amelia not a minute later and gently stretched her hands out, detangling the oxygen line. She then held the sleeping teenager close to her. Amelia stirred briefly before automatically snuggling closer to her mother. Gone was the tension that once wracked her body. Esme planted a kiss on her daughter's head, and pulled a blanket over Amelia, and then settled down to wait until she woke up.


	36. Chapter 36

"Did I ever tell you how much I just love classical music?" grumbled Emmett sarcastically as he sat down in the school auditorium to the right of Rosalie.

"Only about a thousand times," replied Alice, rolling her eyes as she sat down on Rosalie's left. Jasper snickered and sat himself down next to Alice.

"The things I do for my baby sister," he sighed dramatically, fanning himself with a programme. Rosalie smacked him on the head.

"Behave, Emmett," she warned. Carlisle and Esme shook their heads in amusement and scanned the programme. They had been home for a week and had vowed that there would be no more overnight trips until after Amelia's change. They had missed her too much.

It was the night of the much anticipated Spring Concert. The previous week, Amelia had come home from school with a flyer and stuck it on the refrigerator door, firmly informing her family that come hell or high water, they would be at her concert. Unsurprisingly, she had narrowed her focus on her bearlike big brother and handed him some earplugs, with the promise that he could wear them for the entire concert, except for when she was playing. She expected him to listen then. Emmett had nodded solemnly at his baby sister, listening to her with rapt attention while she lectured him, while the rest of the family had nearly collapsed with silent laughter.

"Hello Carlisle, Esme, kids," greeted Richard Westsmythe and he sat down next to them, with Caroline and their two young sons in tow.

"Good evening everyone," chorused the Cullens. Rosalie stuck her tongue out at Dr Westsmythe when his back was turned - she still hadn't forgiven him for being nasty to her beloved little sister at the last doctor's appointment. Alice and Emmett giggled silently. It was Monday, and Amelia's birthday was on Friday. If Alice's prediction held out, Amelia was going to be hospitalised sometime this week and the family was unnaturally tense as a result. The thought of Amelia going back into hospital again, when she had only just come out, was unpleasant.

A giggling group of teenagers entered the auditorium. After them, Amy and Narcisse entered the auditorium with their parents and came to say hello to them when they caught sight of their friends' families. They quickly left to sit with some of their classmates. Minutes before the concert started, Steven Smith entered the auditorium and nodded at the Cullens as he walked past them. Rosalie smiled sweetly at him, enjoying the slight panic that suddenly took over his expression. A few teachers walked past and stopped to speak to their former students.

"How are you all?" asked Mr Mason, surprised to see the Cullen children sitting in the auditorium. Edward and Bella arrived with Renesmee, Jacob, Leah and Seth and sat in the row behind them.

"Oh hello, Edward, Bella," he continued, smiling at the others.

"We are well thank you, Mr Mason. Our midyear exams have just finished so we wanted to come home and surprise Amelia for her concert. That did not work unfortunately," Edward lied smoothly, "However we were fortunate enough to spend some time here during our study leave to welcome Amelia to the family but naturally we had to leave quite soon so that we could write exams."

"I see. Well it is lovely to see you all again but I think the concert is about to begin. Take care." With that, he walked away.

Not too far away, an oboist played an A note and the sound of various instruments tuning could be heard. Esme grinned and squeezed Carlisle's hand gently. She was terribly excited to hear her daughter play tonight. The evening was structured such that solo pieces were to be played before the interlude. The small wind band that the school had was also to play, then there would be a 20 minute interval, whereupon the chairs would be set up for the orchestra. They would be seated while the choir sang a few pieces and then the orchestra would conclude the evening with their recitals.

A round of applause suddenly broke the babble of noise in the auditorium as the music students filed in and took their seats at the front of the auditorium. Esme could see Amelia and Blythe walking in, Blythe subtly supporting Amelia as they did so. Daniella walked in behind them carrying Amelia's violin and Ms Monteverdi brought up the rear, seeing that her star pupils were settled in the front row. Carlisle frowned and exchanged glances with Esme. Amelia was looking paler than usual and he could hear her heart hammering away. She locked eyes with Edward and nodded once.

"She's nervous," muttered Jasper, without looking up from the programme that he was studying with military scrutiny.

"She didn't look this bad earlier," remarked Carlisle, concerned.

"She's telling me to tell you guys that she is ok. She's just nervous and had a coughing fit about 5 minutes ago," confirmed Edward.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, students, family and friends, and welcome to the Forks High School Spring Concert. We would like to thank you for joining us this evening. Our students have been practising long and hard for this event, so we invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy tonight's programme. We will start off with some of the freshman students. Please welcome Matthew Picard, who will be playing Beethoven's _Für Elise_ ," said Ms Monteverdi.

After Matthew, few more freshman students played, and then the sophomores had their chance. Daniella played Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ on the piano, which was warmly received by the audience. Her family and friends cheered loudly for her as she ended off with a flourish and bowed excitedly. Blythe played after that, a cheerful Mozart piece that had her fingers practically flying over the piano keys.

"And our sophomore programme will end with Amelia Theodore playing a piece that she composed herself. She has yet to give it a name, but had requested that I inform you that the piece is dedicated to her parents and siblings. We are very proud of this exceptional young girl and her endless talent. Please give a hand for Amelia," said Ms Monteverdi. A few 'aw's' were heard in the audience and Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look of pure delight, before sharing a brief kiss. Amelia slowly made her way to the front of the auditorium, taking a seat where the previous player, a cellist, had sat.

A buzz sounded in the hall as various people made comments about her ill health, wondering who she was and the unsurprised murmur of realisation that she was actually Dr and Mrs Cullen's _latest_ adopted child. A few nasty comments were whispered and it took a lot of restraint on Esme's part not to give everyone a piece of her mind. Instead, the entire family turned around to glare at the people who were being rude and made them feel exceptionally awkward.

They turned back and watched their beloved human family member blush a very pale shade of red and cough once, before taking as deep a breath as she could and lifting her violin up. She began to play, a low and sad melody that gradually picked up to a lighter, more joyful melody. If her family did not know any better, it appeared to be a narrative of her life. Her eyes were shut and she immersed herself in the music, swaying gently as she played. It was the first time that they had heard it, this piece was one that she had kept to herself and blocked from Edward, practising it only at school and Daniella's house. Her classmates however were familiar with the piece, as were the Westsmythes, who had heard it several times over the past week.

By the time the piece ended, Esme's eyes had filled with venomous tears, as had Rosalie's and Alice's. Amelia stood up and bowed to a thunderous applause. Emmett and Jasper whooped loudly, Jacob and Seth wolf whistled and the others cheered as well, standing as they did so. Amelia's face lit up and she smiled from ear to ear. She walked back to the rest of the music students and sat down between Daniella and Blythe, who both engulfed her in a hug.

The rest of the first half of the programme passed quickly, and soon it was interval. The students quickly set up the chairs for the orchestra and went to raid the refreshments table. After interval, the choir and orchestra got seated. Amelia couldn't be prouder of Amy, Narcisse and Daniella who were part of the choir and stood proudly, singing their hearts out.

Most of the choir went to sit down in the audience when they were done performing, except for the handful of students who made their way into the orchestra to take up their seats. Amelia smiled at Daniella as she handed her friend her violin when she sat down. For the second time that evening, the air was filled with the sounds of a variety of instruments being tuned by their players. Emmett spied Daniella and Amelia in Violin I, and Blythe was sitting in the woodwind section with the other clarinet players. In spite of his moaning, Emmett was very proud of his baby sister and would be at any and every concert of hers for eternity, that he promised. Both Daniella and Blythe played the piano, along with a second instrument. Amelia hoped to one day play the flute and viola as well.

The students readied themselves for the conductor's signal. Violins were lifted up and rested on shoulders, bows at the ready. Flutes and trumpets were held a little tighter. The violinists launched into the second movement of Rachmaninov's _Symphony No. 2_ , followed two beats later by the woodwind section. They moved onto the fourth and final movement of Dvorak's _New World Symphony_ , followed by Prokofiev's _Dance of the Knights_ from Romeo and Juliet, before going more modern and playing the orchestral version of Europe's _The Final Countdown_ and Survivor's _Eye of the Tiger_. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit and had the audience cheering and clapping their hands and tapping their feet in time to the beat.

"Our final two pieces for the evening involve a little trip to the movies. I am sure you are all familiar with these pieces, so I think they need no introduction. They were both composed by Sir John Williams," said Ms Monteverdi, before turning back to conduct the orchestra.

The students cheered loudly as the main theme from Harry Potter was played perfectly. It ended and the orchestra members grinned as their music teacher quickly put on some brown robes before the last piece of the programme was played. The strings players attached small neon lights to their bows and all of the players turned on the small battery-operated lights that they had clipped onto their music stands. Ms Monteverdi turned on a neon light that was doubling as her baton for this specific piece. She nodded at the audio-visual team who, with the flick of a switch, plunged the auditorium into darkness. A few gasps were heard from members of the audience. The orchestra giggled and launched into the main theme from the Star Wars movies, the neon lights doubling as light sabres. The audience burst into laughter at this and enjoyed the piece.

"Do you remember watching the premier of Episode IV?" whispered Carlisle, snaking an arm around Esme's shoulders.

"Mmm," agreed Esme, recalling it only too well.

"I remember Emmett and Jasper fashioning themselves fake light sabres and trying to kill each other with them," muttered Edward.

"My beautiful chandelier in the hall fell victim to that duel," huffed Esme, shaking her head at the memory of finding the chandelier in pieces on the floor.

"Aw Esme, you could have followed my advice and pretended that we were in the Paris Opera House and the chandelier fell as the Phantom did his thing and ran off with Christine," moaned Emmett playfully. Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Hush you guys, I'm trying to listen," broke in Bella. Emmett turned in his seat and stuck his tongue out at her. Renesmee giggled.

"I can take you nowhere," groaned Rosalie, clamping her hand firmly over Emmett's mouth. He twisted in his seat and glared at her, before turning back around to watch the end of the performance. The lights were switched back on just as the orchestra finished playing and those with 'light sabres' had duels with their partners. Their Jedi conductor bowed and gestured to the orchestra, who stood up and bowed as well, smiling and laughing as they did so. Carlisle and Esme had witnessed their daughter play her heart out, and they were proud of her. They didn't need to ask her if she had had fun that night, one look at the enormous smile and shaking shoulders told them all that they needed to know.


	37. Chapter 37

Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett lingered briefly before leaving for home. Bella and Blythe left immediately to go hunting. Bella might be very controlled, but being in an auditorium full of humans was harder than it looked for a vampire as young as she was. The music had been a distraction, but it was not enough to dull the aching burn in her throat. Edward and Renesmee had left with Jacob, Leah and Seth, the small girl was falling asleep in her father's arms as he carried her out of the auditorium.

Dr Westsmythe and Carlisle were immersed in conversation about a patient of theirs. Caroline and Esme were discussing Amelia's upcoming birthday party. In order to keep up with appearances, Rosalie and Alice had decided to go ahead and plan one anyway, even although Amelia objected strongly as she felt that it would be a waste if she was just going to be hospitalised on the day anyway. Alice had argued that her visions were not set in stone and it was possible that it might change. It was to be a small family event – just the Cullens, some of the pack members, Amelia's friends and possibly the Denali coven as well. Eleazar and Carmen had yet to confirm whether or not they were coming, but were keen to meet the latest addition to the Cullen family.

Daniella came out, carrying her violin case and yawning widely. She smiled at everyone and greeted them, before leaving with her parents and brothers in tow. Carlisle and Esme went to speak to Ms Monteverdi, who was chatting to a few other parents.

"That was a lovely concert. Congratulations Ms Monteverdi," said Carlisle warmly, greeting the music teacher. She had now taken off her Jedi robes and was busy folding them up. She glanced up and straightened, shaking hands with him and then with Esme.

"Thank you, Dr Cullen. Did you enjoy Amelia's performance?"

"Very much so. I knew she was good, but that was exceptional," said Esme, beaming with pride directed at her youngest child.

"She has been working so hard on that piece. She just about drove the entire class nuts last week with all of her frantic practising," said Ms Monteverdi with a fond smile.

"I'll say," agreed one of the music students who was walking past with a music stand, "but it sounded lovely. She is really good."

"Aww thanks Shannon. Your trombone solo was awesome," said Amelia, walking up to her parents, violin case casually slung over her left shoulder and concentrator strap on her right one. Shannon winked and walked off.

"Congratulations _bella Mia_ ," exclaimed Esme, throwing her arms around Amelia and hugging her tightly, "that was beautiful!"

"Thanks Mom," she said, blushing a brilliant shade of red. Esme had tears in her eyes when they separated, "Aww shucks, you don't need to cry."

"It was so moving and so perfect and amazing and-" Esme babbled on.

"Congratulations Amelia," said Carlisle, giving her a hug as well and pressing his lips to her forehead, before removing the violin case from her shoulder. Amelia sagged against him, exhaustion so clearly etched on her face. Her chest rattled as she took a minute to catch her breath.

"Stellar performance, Mia," agreed Ms Monteverdi. She smiled at Esme as her eyes shone more brightly than before. Amelia coughed violently and a thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead. Carlisle felt her forehead and it was warmer than usual, but then again, she had just been performing and exerting herself and relying heavily on the adrenaline that flooded through her system when she got pre-performance jitters, so that could account for the raised temperature.

"I think it's time we get Amelia home. It is way past her bedtime," said Carlisle, gently tapping his daughter on the nose.

"What's the time?" she asked sleepily.

"It's 10pm," replied Esme, taking the violin case from Carlisle.

"Huh. That's quite late," she yawned, "Good night Ms Monteverdi."

"Good night Mia. There's no orchestra tomorrow so you can sleep late."

They slowly made their way to the Mercedes. Carlisle supported her very subtly, to anyone who glanced at them it appeared as though he was simply enjoying a tender moment with his teenage daughter, arm around her shoulder, as they walked across the school parking lot. Esme carried Amelia's violin case as well as Blythe's clarinet case. They finally reached the car and Amelia crawled into the back seat, snapping the seatbelt into position and curling up in the seat. She was asleep before they had even turned the engine on.

* * *

"She didn't even stir," said Esme as she walked into Carlisle's study after she had undressed Amelia, put her in some clean pyjamas, attached the feeding line and tucked her into bed. Carlisle glanced up from his reading.

"She's pretty tired out," he remarked, brow crinkling.

"I'm worried about her. She's not looking well at all."

"I'm worried too, but she keeps on insisting that she is fine."

"What do we do, Carlisle?" Esme sighed deeply, listening to her daughter struggling to take a breath.

"What can we do, except wait and see what happens next? She's suffering, Es. I don't want to prolong her suffering any longer than absolutely necessary. It's in her hands now."

"Can't we take her to the hospital now?"

"And say what? Alice, our middle daughter, had a vision that she was going to be in hospital by Friday and Edward, our eldest, can't read her mind because she keeps blocking him out by singing songs in her head? By the way, we are all vampires?" asked Carlisle, visibly upset.

* * *

"Daddy," whispered Amelia, coughing loudly. She knew that if he was in the house, he could hear her and would come to her room. He didn't disappoint.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" he asked, coming into her room. Something was wrong - her scent was different to when Esme had put her to bed some four and a half hours previously. It was nearing 3am and his daughter blinked sleepily against the bedside light he had switched on.

"I don't feel so good."

Esme ran into her room as well, switching on the main light as she did so. She gasped when she saw Amelia's pale face. Carlisle felt her forehead, Amelia definitely had a fever. She coughed again, a violent spell that had Esme putting a container in Amelia's lap in case she did get sick. She began to shake slightly, she was burning up. Carlisle quickly detached the feeding line so that it didn't get in their way.

"Take deep breaths sweetheart," murmured Esme, trying to help her daughter regain her breath. A particularly violent coughing spasm wracked her body and Esme and Carlisle both heard a slight popping sound. Amelia gasped in pain and clutched her chest, crying softly.

"Amelia, what just happened?" demanded Carlisle urgently.

"Hurts," she managed to gasp out before she coughed again and Carlisle smelled an erringly familiar scent suddenly overtaking Amelia. It was blood, and a lot of it at that. Any minute now, and his daughter was going to start coughing it up again.

"Get Jasper out the house and get me some towels," he yelled. Rosalie ran to the linen closet and grabbed some. Jasper ran out of the house. Emmett got the car ready and Alice got some blankets.

Amelia jerked up, and the smell got even stronger. She coughed again and Carlisle removed the oxygen mask from her face. The towel that he was holding over her mouth grew an alarming shade of crimson with each cough. Esme was trying to soothe her, wiping damp strands of hair from her face and holding her daughter close to her.

"Alair's phoning Richard Westsmythe as we speak, Carlisle. Get Amelia to the hospital now," called Alice, panic colouring her tone.

Carlisle didn't need telling twice. He carried Amelia down the stairs and into the car. A shirtless Emmett was already sitting in the backseat of the car. He took Amelia from Carlisle and held her against his bare chest. Amelia let out an unholy shriek and coughed up more blood, making Esme grimace as she got into the car next to Emmett with a concentrator. The cold temperature of vampire skin was unwelcoming to Amelia's fever and she desperately tried to claw away from the coldness that was causing her such pain.

Emmett clenched his jaw and held on tightly to Amelia. It would help prevent her body temperature from getting too high and causing irreversible damage, the same way a cold bath did. Rosalie climbed into the front seat of the car and as soon as Carlisle was in the passenger seat, she floored it, kicking up a trail of muddy dust in her wake. She hit the hazards, the orange lights blinking on either side of the car as they raced along the highway. There was not a chance in hell that Rosalie was going to get stopped by a traffic officer. She'd ride him over if she had to. Esme had been delegated the task of holding a second towel to Amelia's face, which was also growing crimson with each ragged breath that Amelia took.

"Amelia, it's going to be ok," she soothed, holding her hand up to her daughter's burning forehead. Amelia barely managed to lock Esme's gaze before gasping and coughing again. Her head lolled to the side and she was fading in and out of consciousness.

"Carlisle," said Esme, worried.

"Almost there," he replied, his hand braced on the door handle. Rosalie had them at the hospital within 5 minutes, a trip that usually took at least 20 minutes or so. Alair was waiting for them at the entrance to the emergency room, equipped with a gurney and oxygen mask. They screeched to the entrance and Carlisle was out in a flash, yanking the back door open. Amelia was out of the car and on the bed in a matter of seconds. Richard Westsmythe met them as they ran into the ER.

Esme kissed her daughter and went to sit in the waiting area. She was joined by Rosalie and Emmett, who by now had put his shirt back on. Jasper and Alice arrived after 10 minutes. Alice had phoned Edward and he arrived with Blythe, allowing his mother to dry sob in his arms. Bella remained at home with Renesmee, who was still sleeping. Nearly three agonising hours passed before Alair came to find them. She had changed her scrubs, but the scent of blood still lingered.

"She's relatively stable," began Alair, "she's still in surgery but they are finishing up. She burst another blood vessel in her lungs. Carlisle and Richard will be with you as soon as they are done with Amelia and they will explain in more detail. Carlisle refused to leave her side. He's asked that you all go and wait in his office for him."

"Thank you Alair," said Edward, smiling at the family's favourite nurse. Alair nodded and went to sit next to Esme, briefly giving her a hug, before going to get a room ready for Amelia. The Cullen family stood up and filed out of the waiting area, slowly making their way to Carlisle's office. If they had been capable of feeling tired, exhausted would not even have covered how they were feeling at this point in time. A further half hour passed before Carlisle walked into his office, automatically walking to Esme and giving her a hug, inhaling her scent of honey and roses that never failed to soothe him. Six pairs of eyes watched him, desperate for an update on their precious human family member's health.

"Amelia ruptured a large vessel. She has a bad infection again, it looks bacterial. It smells like _pseudomonas_ , but obviously we need the lab results to come back. Unfortunately, whatever it is has caused double pneumonia. Normally, it takes several days for pneumonia to develop, but Amelia is severely immunocompromised. She was fine yesterday before the concert started, but by the end she was already starting to feel ill. It progressed too rapidly for us to be able to intervene and prevent this bleeding from happening. She is stable for now. We've started her on heavy antibiotics and she's still sedated. We are struggling to keep her temperature down and we won't know until she wakes up if any damage has been done."

Esme dry sobbed loudly, her face buried in her hands. Carlisle held her closer to him and kissed her softly. A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the room. Amelia was alive, and that was what mattered.

"Can we see her?" asked Alice.

"She's in ICU," said Carlisle, "so only Esme and I are allowed in."

Alice nodded and held Jasper a little tighter than before. Esme and Carlisle left his office, walking up to the ICU.

"I can't believe that this happened again," wept Esme, distraught. They stopped walking and Carlisle held her tight, his expression grim.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, Es. Amelia is very sick. The harsh reality is that this is not uncommon to happen in the late stages of her disease. She's past the point of being considered for a lung transplant now. If she wasn't going to become one of us, we would be waiting for her to die."


	38. Chapter 38

Carlisle and Esme made their way to the small ICU that Forks Hospital had. Pausing briefly to punch in his access code, Carlisle opened up the doors and stood back to allow Esme to enter before him. The doors closed automatically behind them with a swish. Esme took in her surroundings. The ICU was smaller than the one at Central Rochester Hospital. It smelt strongly of disinfectant and Esme crinkled her nose in distaste. It was one of the quieter units of the hospital, with only one bed occupied as far as Esme could see – an elderly man who appeared to be asleep.

Carlisle led her through the ward until they arrived at a heavy see-through door, with the words 'Isolation' written on it. He opened it up, and both of them donned gowns, masks and gloves before entering the next door. It too slid open and Esme heard the relatively steady electronic beeping of a heart rate monitor and the methodical clicks of a ventilator. She took an unnecessary breath and walked into the room.

Alair bustled about the room, chatting brightly to an unconscious Amelia. Dr Westsmythe stood at the foot of the bed, writing in her patient file. He glanced up as Carlisle and Esme entered and smiled tiredly at them. It did not reach his eyes. It had been a long night. Esme walked up to Amelia's side and softly touched her forehead. Her face was swollen and she had bandages on her hand. An IV line ran out of her right hand, a larger one ran through her port. A second IV line ran from her left hand, supplying blood for the transfusion that her body desperately needed.

Amelia was intubated, her chest rising rhythmically with each burst of oxygen that the ventilator was forcing into her. She had four leads on her chest that snaked out from under her gown and attached to the heart rate monitor, measuring her vital signs. A chest drain also ran out from under her gown, slowly draining blood into a large plastic bladder hooked onto the side of the bed. Amelia's right lung had collapsed during the blood vessel rupture and they were trying to drain the blood so that her lung could reinflate. A catheter ran out from the bottom of Amelia's gown, hooking up to an empty bag hung at the bottom of her bed.

A variety of ice packs surrounded her body – two on either side of her neck, under each arm pit and elbow and under her knees. Esme could see more icepacks running along her body beneath her gown but still the fever raged on. The ice was melting faster than it should. Amelia's cheeks were scarlet from the high temperature, and she was sweating badly.

"How's her fever?" asked Carlisle.

"No change as yet," replied Dr Westsmythe, "the antipyretic medication is just not working."

"Labs?"

"Being processed as we speak. Carlisle, if she gets any worse, we need to consider transporting her to Seattle. I don't think we can handle another bleeder like that."

"Let's try to stabilise her first and take it from there."

"Agreed. I'll give you two some privacy. I'll be in my office if you need me."

"I'd like to have a conference call with Dr Anderson later. I'd appreciate her input."

Dr Westsmythe nodded once and left the room. Carlisle and Esme could hear him removing his gown, mask, gloves and scrub cap before washing his hands and exiting the isolation area. Alair finished up and squeezed Amelia's hand once before leaving as well.

Carlisle pulled up a chair and coaxed Esme into sitting on it. She had yet to speak since arriving in isolation.

"What are all the IV lines for?"

"The port has a potent cocktail of antibiotics and medicine to try to bring her fever down. The IV line has morphine and barbituates, which are sedatives. They'll keep her out of discomfort for now, but we may have to consider medically-inducing a coma to prevent damage occurring to her brain."

"What will that achieve?"

"It basically shuts down her non-essential body functions and enables her body to run on absolute minimum which allows her to heal. It's a very heavy form of sedation. If her fever climbs any higher for a sustained period of time, we may not be able to bring it down in time."

"Then what will happen?"

"Best case scenario, Amelia suffers permanent damage to her body."

"Worst case scenario?"

Carlisle fell silent. Esme realised what he was trying to say. Worst case scenario meant that they would not be bringing their daughter home. Worst case scenario meant that no longer would the house be filled with Amelia's humming, with her tapping out a tune, with her life and soul. Worst case scenario meant that the house would fall silent once more. Esme bit back a gasp and held her daughter's fiery-hot hand tightly in her ice cold one.

" _Bella Mia_ , please get better. I beg of you," she pleaded, unable to bear the thought of losing Amelia. She had just gotten her, it had scarcely been a month since Amelia had moved in with them.

"Mrs Cullen, I'm afraid we need to take care of Mia now," whispered Alair. She had come back into the room and stood near the door. Esme glanced up and nodded. She kissed her daughter's burning forehead and left the room. Edward met her outside and together they left the ICU, both deep in thought.

* * *

"Do you think she is going to pull through this one, Carlisle?" asked Alair. She and Carlisle were busy changing the now-melted ice packs. Carlisle was heartbroken to see the scars that his daughter carried on her body, a painful reminder of her abusive past that she refused to talk about. There were scars from wounds that had obviously been sutured on her back and legs, cigarette burn marks on her upper arms and stomach. He knew of their existence, Esme had told him about them as she was the one who was most involved in Amelia's bath time and hair washing routines, but was ill-prepared for their severity. Other scars marred her chest, evidence of prior chest drains and other procedures being carried out.

"I really don't know, Alair," he replied, taking a deep breath in an attempt at clearing his mind.

A stutter in Amelia's heart rate registered on the monitor. Carlisle glanced up at the monitor in concern. Suddenly, Amelia's heart rate went into overdrive as her body heated up once more.

"She's in ventricular fibrillation," yelled Carlisle. Alair pressed the emergency button on the wall and within seconds, the ICU staff filled the small room. Carlisle started doing chest compressions and Alair and a few other nurses desperately tried to dry Amelia's body. To shock her with an AED would electrocute her. When it was deemed safe, they did just that and managed to regulate her heart rate once again. It was beating fast, as is often the case in severe infections, but it was as strong as it could possibly be. The staff left, leaving Carlisle and Alair alone.

"Her kidneys have been damaged, Carlisle," stated Alair. Carlisle followed her gaze. The catheter was slowly draining urine from her body, but instead of it being yellow, it was brown and smelt strongly of proteins.

"Dammit," he groaned. He immediately injected some diuretics into Amelia's port. He hoped that they would alleviate some of the damage by promoting kidney function. The physiotherapist then arrived, and spent nearly 15 minutes trying to suction some of the sticky mucus that was blocking up her lungs. Carlisle grimaced when he saw the crimson coloured phlegm superimposing a very alarming shade of yellow. Definitely _pseudomonas,_ he concluded.

"Do what Emmett was doing," instructed Alair when the physiotherapist had left, "take off your shirt. Cool her body with yours. Heaven knows our kind is cold enough."

"She's too fragile to be moved right now, Alair," said Carlisle, hesitant to disturb Amelia.

"We can handle anything else, but your daughter's life is on the line here, Carlisle Robert Cullen," retorted Alair, raising an eyebrow.

* * *

"Alice, can you see anything?" asked Edward, as he escorted Esme back to Carlisle's office. Esme's thoughts had been in a jumble, but she was desperate for any information that may help her daughter, and turned desperately to her psychic middle daughter.

"All I can see is that she will survive this. She will wake up but will be quiet and withdrawn for a few days until she feels a bit better. When she will wake up remains to be seen," replied Alice sombrely. She locked eyes with Edward, showing him what she was deliberately hiding from Esme and the rest of her siblings. He nodded slightly.

"Perhaps we ought to get you home, Esme," said Rosalie.

"I don't want to leave Amelia," she replied firmly, crossing her arms in defiance.

"You will not be allowed to see her until tonight, Esme. It's not healthy to sit here and mope around all day. Come, let's go and get cleaned up. Your shirt is covered in blood," said Jasper, taking Esme's hand and leading her out of the office. The rest of the family filed out.

 _I'm going to stay and see if I can help out. Please tell Esme that I've phoned the school and told them that Amelia won't be in for a few weeks_ , thought Blythe, turning around to meet Edward's eye. Edward nodded and shut the office door behind him, locking it and handing her the keys. Alice turned around and smiled at Blythe, winking at her. Edward caught up with his family and together they left the hospital.

* * *

"My eyes!" exclaimed Blythe as she walked in to the room, trying to lift the heavy atmosphere. Carlisle was shirtless and attempting to use his body heat, or rather, lack thereof, to bring Amelia's temperature down.

"How did you get in here?" queried Alair, quietly chuckling.

"You really don't want to know. Carlisle, I was wondering if I may heal Amelia? We both know that I promised her that I wouldn't do anything exceptional."

Carlisle, Amelia and Blythe had sat down and had a chat when the rest of the family was out hunting. Amelia knew she was dying, she had known for quite some time, but in her heart, she also knew that it was only a matter of time before she got sick to the point that she was hospitalised again. Wanting to keep her family happy, but also wanting to honour her own wishes, the pair had made a pact. Amelia did not want to suffer, nor did she want to put her family through the pain of watching her suffer and know that they could end her suffering with just one bite, but she also wanted to fight. She owed it to every Cystic before her; she needed to fight until her very last breath. She wanted to finish sophomore year, although she was fast realising that that might be a tall order. In short, she simply wanted to feel that she earned the right to immortality and didn't give up and take the easy way out. "I want to be able to say that I fought until the bitter end," she had said, determination shining in her eyes.

Worried that her family may put pressure on Blythe to heal her, and equally worried that Blythe may try to heal her because she felt obligated to do so and didn't want to lose her friend, she had approached her and they had made a deal. It was something like a Do Not Resuscitate form. Blythe was allowed to heal her, on condition that it filled the obligation of 'no extraordinary measures'. If Amelia was too far gone to be saved by any medical measures, Blythe was to leave her. If she was too far gone to be saved by vampire venom, then Blythe had permission to heal Amelia enough to allow her body to accept the venom and commence with the transformation process. It was a necessary conversation, and both girls had felt more at ease since they had gotten the proverbial giant white elephant out of the room.

"Okay," agreed Carlisle, albeit hesitantly. He too recalled the conversation, the fierce determination that his daughter had.

"I will heal her enough to bring her temperature down to a more manageable level. I'm going to leave her kidneys for now, I'd prefer to see what the kidney tests show us tomorrow once she is stable and starting to recover. She needs to remain sedated, she desperately needs the rest."

"Alright then, go ahead."

Carlisle got up and redressed himself speedily, standing back to allow Blythe to heal Amelia. Blythe placed her left hand on Amelia's chest, and her right hand on her stomach, shutting her eyes and concentrating. She imagined the fever as a fire, red, hot and pulsing and focussed on that, drawing her power to it. Her hands glowed golden and Amelia's heart stuttered for the second time that morning. Slowly the golden glow faded until it disappeared from the tips of Blythe's fingers.

"Her temperature is slowly dropping," she announced, opening her eyes, "but let's get some more ice packs anyway." Amelia's cheeks were still bright red but already her body was feeling slightly colder to the touch.

"The fever should break in the next hour or so."

"Thank you, Blythe," said Carlisle gratefully.


	39. Chapter 39

"Amelia's fever broke half an hour ago," Carlisle said, staring at the computer screen. He was video chatting with Dr Anderson and was updating her on Amelia's progress, or lack thereof. He had moved his laptop to Amelia's room, not a chance was he leaving her alone for what could be a very long call.

"I'm glad to hear that," sighed Dr Anderson, twirling a pencil around with her fingers, "she's still looking very flushed."

"Yes she is. She melted ice packs, that's how high her temperature was."

"Yikes. Has any damage been done?"

"Aside from her kidneys, nothing we can tell as yet. We are busy draining the blood from her right lung so that we can get it to reinflate."

"She has a haemothorax? She had a pneumothorax with us about a week into her hospitalisation but she bounced back remarkably well. We are not too sure how it happened but the bottom line was that she got air in her chest cavity and it took a while for the lung to reinflate."

"That's never a good sign. I'm not sure if I should induce a barbiturate coma or leave her to heal naturally."

"She's not going to heal naturally like she should but with pneumonia and a collapsed lung, I'd be very hesitant to knock her out for a prolonged period of time. Comatose patients are already such a sitting duck for pneumonia. it's a recipe for disaster in Amelia's case. She'll surely get pleuritis or something equally dreadful. Besides, she needs to be active and moving about if that lung is to reinflate."

Carlisle nodded, deep in thought. His head was spinning.

"She likes ice cream," said Dr Anderson, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry?"

"Mint chocolate ice cream is Mia's favourite, give her some when she wakes up. It'll help her feel better emotionally. Alternatively, give her some chocolate. Speaking of sugar, how is her blood glucose? You are going to struggle to normalise her levels for the next week or so. Expect opposite extremes – she bounces from extreme highs to extreme lows with startling ease."

"Noted. I didn't know she even liked ice cream. When do you recommend we lift the sedation?"

"If her heart is looking strong, then lift it this afternoon. If not, delay it until you feel ready. I trust your judgement, Carlisle. From what I can see and hear, she's faring alright. It's only what, 11am on your side?"

"Correct."

"Lift it around 2pm. The chances are that she will sleep right through the night anyway. Her body had taken quite the beating. Let her awaken by herself."

"Alright, I'll do just that. Seeing that her fever is broken, I'll start the feeds up again."

"Yes, she needs nutrition now more than ever. Carlisle, I honestly think she should not go back to school again."

"I agree with you, Joanne, but I can't see that going down without a fight."

"You'd be surprised. Give her some credit Carlisle, she's tougher than she looks. She's been told worse things than not being able to go to school. She'll survive this one too, she just takes everything in her stride. With this morning's setback, however, I think your family needs to prepare themselves. She's unlikely to survive another one," Dr Anderson said seriously. She was not one for mincing her words, and she wasn't about to start either.

Carlisle fell silent and glanced to his right, where the sleeping form of his youngest daughter lay. He reached for her hand, mercifully cool at last.

"I just hope for her sake that she can finish off the school year, even if it is via correspondence," he sighed sadly, "she's probably not going to last the summer."

"Take it one day at a time, Carlisle. Her kidneys will survive this one, but when her muscles start wasting, then you know she's on her last. She'll be in a lot of pain. You have her birthday on Friday to look forward to, try keep your spirits up. It's the first birthday you'll have with her."

"Yes it is. Alice and Rosalie, Amelia's sisters, were planning a party for her but that must now be delayed until she is better."

"She won't be coming home in a hurry, that is for sure. Most of my CF patients go through this cycle, and most often, they don't go back home. Don't be surprised if you find that she is too ill to leave the hospital. But by all means, try to let her get out for a bit before the last time. Amelia's always been the exception to the rule – she has that fighting spirit."

"There I will definitely agree with you. She's a tough nut."

* * *

"Thank you, Blythe," mouthed Edward. Blythe smiled and replayed what had happened in the ICU while the Cullens were at home in her head so that Edward was up to speed. She had just walked into the Cullen house, which had become her home while she stayed in Forks. Esme had put her foot down when she heard that Blythe was staying alone and insisted that the teenager move into one of the guest bedrooms. The fact that she was almost 200 years old was irrelevant in Esme's eyes. She made her way to the living room, where Esme sat as still as a statue. She hadn't changed her blouse, Amelia's blood spattered across it like a crude flick of paint across a blank canvas.

"She hasn't moved since we got home. I'm worried about her," said Rosalie.

"Not even Nessie has been able to get some reaction out of her," added Bella. Renesmee was sitting very quietly next to her grandmother, patting her knee.

"She's completely internalised herself. I can't hear a thing," said Edward, "I wanted to call Carlisle but he is busy with Amelia."

"I can't sense anything either," commented Jasper, eyes black with thirst.

At Amelia's name, Esme blinked. Blythe was struck with an idea. She raced upstairs to Amelia's room and grabbed some of her things. The bed had been made, fresh sheets had been placed and a load of laundry was hanging up outside, now devoid of blood. Alice cottoned on quickly, and dashed into Esme and Carlisle's room, grabbing a fresh blouse and handing it to Blythe as they met at the top of the stairs. Edward was herding the others out the front door. Jasper needed to hunt. Alice nodded tightly at Blythe and followed her family.

Blythe walked into the living room once more, armed with some of Amelia's things that smelt strongly of her. Her favourite blanket, her much loved and well-worn teddy bear, her dressing gown. As the scent hit her, Esme's nostrils flared slightly and she took a deep breath. Blythe slowly sat down on the coffee table in front of her and took gently took Esme's head in her hands, forcing Esme to look at her.

"Amelia is alright. Her fever will break soon, if it hasn't already. She is very sick, Esme, but she's a fighter and she will get through this. Listen to me, she _will_ get through this. I know for a fact that when she wakes up, she'll want to see you. I know it's scary, I know that what happened this morning was nothing short of nightmarish, and that it feels like the world is against you right now. It's ok to be scared. I would be too, if I were you."

Esme stared at her for a long time. Blythe waited patiently for her to speak. "I thought we were going to lose her," she whispered, so low that had Blythe not been a vampire, she would not even have been aware that Esme was speaking.

"I know," she said, engulfing the woman who was fast becoming a parental figure to her.

"How do you know that she's going to be alright?"

"I healed her," Blythe replied simply.

"But she doesn't want that."

"I healed her enough to allow her fever to break. It won't flare up again."

"Her kidneys and lungs?"

"Her kidneys were unfortunately damaged, but we have decided to monitor the situation and go from there. I will not touch her lungs, I promised her that. Esme, Amelia is pretty ill, but she is still fighting."

"I thought we had more time before she went back into hospital."

"She's in end stage cardiopulmonary failure. The fact that she tolerated a seven hour aeroplane flight and was at home for nearly a month afterwards, attending school, and still managed to pull off a concert last night speaks volumes about her determination. Let's get you out of that bloody blouse now, please."

* * *

At 2.30pm, Carlisle and Alair stood in Amelia's room, injecting medication into her IV line that would reverse the sedation. Alice had phoned to say that Amelia would not awaken until the morning. Alair hung up a new bag of feeds and connected it to Amelia's feeding tube.

"I think we need to change her sheets. They are still damp from the ice," said Carlisle, picking up some clean sheets that he had taken from the linen supply closet. At vampire speed, it was a quick and easy task and within a minute, fresh linen and a clean hospital gown covered the unconscious teenager.

"Esme will be happy," smiled Alair. She gently rested her hand on Amelia's cheek before leaving father and daughter in peace.

Carlisle left the room as well and stood behind the heavy glass wall that separated his daughter from the rest of the hospital, watching her. He finally let out a breath of relief. It had been a long and tense day, emotions running high and the omnipresent fear that this might be the end for Amelia. He put his hand up against the glass window, a farewell of sorts, and left the ICU.

* * *

"Is it visiting hours yet?" asked Esme as she barged into Carlisle's office without knocking. Carlisle glanced up and checked his watch.

"A few more minutes, my love," he said softly. Esme sighed and sat down in a chair. The pair sat in silence for a while, broken only by the pitter-patter of three softly approaching sets of footsteps. A quiet knock sounded at the door, accompanied by the frantic whisperings of three teenage girls.

"You can come in," called Carlisle. The whispering stopped and the door was pushed open further, revealing Daniella, Amy and Narcisse. The girls walked in shyly.

"Hello ladies," greeted Carlisle warmly.

"Hi Dr Cullen, Mrs Cullen," they chorused.

"We heard Amelia was sick so we made her some get well soon cards," said Daniella, handing Carlisle a stack of cards. Narcisse handed over a small teddy bear. She walked over to Esme to give her a hug.

"We made them during lunch break and some of our classmates came to join us. Mr Mason let us use his classroom," added Amy.

"How is Mia, if you don't mind us asking?" asked Narcisse. The girls were obviously concerned about their friend. Carlisle smiled at them, grateful that his daughter had friends who genuinely cared for her.

"She will be ok. She has pneumonia and developed a few complications as a result."

"She seemed ok last night at the concert though," frowned Daniella, "I can't believe I didn't pick it up. I sat next to her practically the whole night."

"Daniella, please know that Amelia's resistance to infection is very low right now. In someone like you, pneumonia will develop over a couple of days, assuming the circumstances are right. You'd need to have the 'flu or something and then develop bronchitis, before that develops into pneumonia. Amelia has Cystic Fibrosis, so her lungs are constantly full of thick, sticky mucus which is an ideal breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria and fungi. It developed in a matter of hours. There was nothing you could have done to help her. Esme and I didn't even pick it up until she called for us in the middle of the night."

Esme shuddered at the memory. That didn't escape the girls' notice and they rushed to hug their friend's mother.

"I know you would like to see her but right now, she is in isolation. Her brothers and sisters are not even allowed to see her. Any infection now will be detrimental to her. She is also asleep and we doubt she will wake up before tomorrow morning."

"Dad said you sedated her and that she was really sick and no one can see her, and that it is for her own good," Daniella blurted out in one breath.

"Correct," smiled Carlisle, "we called him very early this morning to come and help us out."

"We'll put the cards up where Amelia can see them," promised Esme, finally speaking for the first time. She forced a smile for the girls, but they all knew that it has half-hearted.

"Thanks Mrs Cullen. She's a real trooper. Please tell her we send our love and best wishes for a speedy recovery," said Amy. The girls left the room, chatting quietly amongst themselves.

"Amelia," stated Esme firmly, standing up and leaving the office.

"Amelia," agreed Carlisle, locking the door behind him.


	40. Chapter 40

Carlisle led Esme back to the ICU. They scrubbed up and donned their attire of a gown, a scrub cap, gloves and a mask, before entering the room. Esme made a beeline for Amelia's side. Her cheeks were no longer flushed, and a quick feel of her daughter's forehead told her that the fever had in fact broken.

"Blythe is exceptional," she remarked in relief. She knew in her heart that there was a great chance that they could have lost Amelia had Blythe not intervened. Carlisle nodded in assent, checking Amelia's vital signs and recording them in the file.

"When will she wake up?" she asked, holding her daughter's hand in her own.

"Probably sometime tomorrow morning. She's going to be pretty disorientated and may not remember what happened. She was pretty out of it this morning when we were driving her here."

"I was scared at how quickly her temperature rose. She was coherent one minute, the next she was completely out of it."

"That was the fever and her lack of immune response, coupled with the lung collapse and haemothorax. You know how Amelia is, she internalises her pain," he said, checking the plastic bladder that was attached to the chest drain. It had filled up considerably with blood, and by the looks of things, there was still more that needed to be drained.

"How are her kidneys?"

"Better," he replied, glancing at the catheter bag. Amelia's urine was now a very dark yellow colour, almost orange, "we'll keep up with the fluids and hopefully that will help alleviate the damage some more."

"Will she need dialysis?"

"It's honestly too soon to tell. Towards the end, possibly. We need to have a chat with Amelia about when she wants to be changed. None of us are going to be able to sit around and watch her suffer like that."

They settled into companionable silence, broken only by the steady beep of the heart rate monitor, the rhythmic _whoosh_ of the ventilator as oxygen was forced into the battered and broken lungs that occupied Amelia's body and were slowly killing her. Imperceptible to human ears, Amelia's heart was beating away with as much strength as it had left, and Esme found that the very sound itself, that strangely beautiful but equally sluggish and sickly thudding noise, to be the most soothing. For the first time that day, Esme felt a sense of peace steal through her body, although she would not fully relax until her precious Amelia was home again. Carlisle broke the silence.

"Amelia's too sick to return to school," he stated quietly, "at this rate, I'm not sure she will finish the school year anymore."

"I agree. The only place she could have picked up whatever bug it is that has caused this, is school. She was at home the entire weekend and we certainly can't give her anything. I doubt very much she caught anything from the Westsmythes either, Robert is very good about things like that. Aside from the immunity situation, I don't think she is up for it anymore. She is sleeping more and more when she gets home from school and she is struggling to keep up with her homework nowadays. I think she just took on more than she could handle for the concert and her body could not keep up anymore," Esme paused, "And Alice hasn't said anything about Amelia's future. If she has seen something, she is not saying anything to me."

"The kids were worried about you earlier when you went into shock like that. I think that even if Alice has seen something, she wouldn't tell you for fear of upsetting you further."

"I'm sorry about that, Carlisle," said Esme sadly, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"Don't be. We all deal with stressful situations differently," replied Carlisle, giving his wife a hug.

They fell into silence again, and heard Alair entering the ICU. Her light footsteps echoed through the mostly-empty ward and she was humming a song under her breath. She waved cheerfully from outside the thick glass window and glanced to her left and right. She mimed taking a bath and pointing at Amelia, laughing as she did and greeting the ICU nurse that walked past her. As soon as she was out of earshot, Alair rolled her eyes and pulled a face.

"Esme, do you want to help me give Amelia a bed bath?" she asked. Esme nodded and Alair flashed a thumbs up, before disappearing around the corner and entering the isolation ward. They heard her scrub up, and then she walked in carrying some sponges, soap and a tub of warm water.

"Go get us some towels, won't you Carlisle?" she instructed, winking at Esme. Carlisle muttered unintelligibly and stomped off to get towels. Esme and Alair giggled and pulled back the gown covering Amelia.

"She's looking better," commented Alair, "those cheeks were far too red for my liking."

"I agree," said Esme, lifting up Amelia's left arm while Alair attacked it with a soapy sponge, "it's a relief to feel cooler cheeks again."

"Here are the towels," said Carlisle, walking into the room carrying some towels. The three of them made light work of the bed bath, careful not to dislodge the multitude of tubes that were keeping Amelia alive and comfortable. When it was done, Carlisle hung another unit of blood and removed the old one, before connecting the new one. He finished up the paperwork and swept his eyes over Amelia one last time.

"Let's go home, Es," he said.

"Do I have to?" Esme sighed sadly, unwilling to leave her daughter alone.

"I'm afraid so, Esme. Visiting hours for the ICU are very strict. I also think that you should go hunting, your eyes are black," said Alair.

Esme sighed and then nodded. She pulled down her mask to give her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight _bella Mia_ , I love you," she whispered in Amelia's ear. She left the room, Carlisle trailing behind her. She removed her protective attire and exited, walking past the heavy glass window and caught a glimpse of her daughter for the last time that evening. Heavy-heartedly, she allowed Carlisle to lead her away from the ICU.

* * *

"Any idea when we can see her, Carlisle?" asked Rosalie. Carlisle and Esme had returned from hunting, and Carlisle now sat in the living room with their other children. It was early on Wednesday morning, Amelia would normally be waking up around now. Renesmee was sleeping in one of the numerous spare bedrooms, Edward and Bella had opted to remain at the main house in light of recent events. Right now, the presence of family was the only thing that could keep them together. Esme had retreated to Amelia's room and was just sitting there, inhaling her scent in an attempt at calming herself down and preventing herself from running back to the hospital and spending all night there.

"I'm hoping to allow you into the ICU tomorrow, depending on how she is feeling. You won't be able to go inside the isolation ward. You can wave at her from the glass window though."

"She's having a blood transfusion right now and they are still trying to drain the blood from her chest," said Blythe quietly.

"Thank you, Blythe, for everything," called Esme.

"You're welcome, Esme."

"Someone's coming," said Bella, delicately turning her head towards the forest. The family fell silent. Someone, vampire, was running towards them. Alice went into a vision. They took on a defensive position, with Edward and Bella racing upstairs to get to Renesmee. As the footsteps come closer, they could be distinguished as not belong to one person, but five separate people.

"It's the Denalis," said Alice, suddenly coming out of her vision. The Cullens relaxed. Bella and Edward made their way downstairs again. Carlisle walked to the door and opened it up. Presently, the Denali coven emerged from the trees and came up the driveway.

"Carlisle!" greeted Eleazar, shaking hands with his old friend.

"Eleazar," he grinned back, "hello Carmen, you look lovely as always."

"Oh Carlisle, you old charmer," she teased, stepping up to give him a hug. Carlisle greeted Garret, Kate and Tanya, before leading them inside. Esme came downstairs, holding Amelia's blanket close to herself. Introductions were made to Blythe. Eleazar was immediately taken up by Blythe, impressed by her powerful healing capabilities.

"So where is this beautiful new addition to the family? Is the darling still sleeping?" asked Carmen, excitedly. Esme's face fell and she looked down. The others sighed. They were all feeling Amelia's absence particularly hard.

"Oh no, is she alright? Please tell me she is alright!" exclaimed Carmen, immediately giving Esme a giant hug and fussing over her like a mother hen. She didn't know what else to do, so she wrapped her old friend in the blanket that smelt strongly of a human and waited for the Cullens to tell her what was happening. Blythe glanced at Carlisle for permission, and he nodded.

"Amelia woke up at around 3am yesterday with a very high fever and started coughing up blood. She has pneumonia, the lab results indicate that it comes from a bacteria that is considered to be part of the normal flora, in other words, a bacteria that is always present in the body somewhere. Her immune system is virtually non-existent so it caused some extreme symptoms and she was rushed to hospital. Anyway, it caused one of her lungs to collapse and we struggled for quite a long time to bring down her temperature. I healed her to the point that her fever broke but it has caused some kidney damage."

"Oh, Esme, that is terrible!" gasped Carmen, hands flying up to her face.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," said Kate. Garrett and Eleazar echoed that.

"Is she going to be ok?" asked Tanya in concern.

"She will get through this, yes," said Carlisle. Alice nodded in confirmation.

"How long does she have left?"

"As little as three or four months," said Alice quietly. Edward glanced at Alice as she finally unblocked her thoughts and grimaced at what he saw. All eyes were on them. Carlisle raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"This setback has cost her greatly. Carlisle, you're going to have to do it sooner rather than later. She is not even going to make it as far as September. She's going to sink into a bit of a depressive state after she wakes up. It won't last long, she'll be ok by Friday, but she may want to be left alone to deal with things her own way, I can't quite tell at the moment. You are going to have to tell her the extent of what happened Carlisle, she won't remember anything beyond the concert."

"Maybe I should spare her the details," he countered.

"If you don't tell her, I will," she threatened. Carlisle stared at her for a moment, grimly recalling that she had told Amelia how she would die back in New York. He nodded once.


	41. Chapter 41

It was 8am when Esme and Carlisle entered the ICU on Wednesday. Alair and Dr Westsmythe were already there, having checked in on her as soon as they arrived at the hospital.

"She's going to wake up pretty soon," stated Dr Westsmythe, reading the notes that the night ICU staff had written down. Alair nodded in assent. She removed the now empty bag that had transfused much-needed blood into the failing body of the dying teenager whose bed they surrounded. Esme listened to the sound of her daughter's heart beating – it sounded stronger than before.

A ragged choking noise interrupted her reverie. Carlisle looked relieved, and Dr Westsmythe sighed in relief. Alair grinned widely. Esme realised that Amelia was able to breathe on her own now, and Carlisle hastened to remove the endotracheal tube that snaked down his daughter's mouth and into her lungs. Alair suctioned what she could and placed the nasal cannula on Amelia, and the room fell silent as they waited with bated breath for Amelia to awaken. Dr Westsmythe and Alair left, opting to give the parents some privacy with their daughter when she woke up.

Amelia began to stir. She frowned and her face contorted.

"She'll be in pain when she wakes up," murmured Carlisle.

"Can't you give her something?" asked Esme.

"She needs to wake up first, and I want to assess how bad it is before giving her the meds. You know how she hates morphine."

Esme sighed and nodded. It was true, Amelia would go for as long as she could handle before asking for pain killers. Years of constant pain had not only given her a high pain threshold, but also meant that the traditional, over the counter medications that were commonly prescribed had absolutely no effect on her. Paracetamol did not work, nor did codeine or ibuprofen.

Amelia needed the stronger meds, the opioids – the addictive medication, which made her drowsy without fail. She hated that, and the host of other side effects that they brought. She refused to take them as often as she actually needed to, she didn't want to die an inadvertent addict. Amelia let out a whimper as she gradually began to wake up, and it took a lot of restraint on Carlisle's part not to drug his daughter into a stupor.

Esme simply picked up Amelia's hand and squeezed it gently. She was rewarded with a slight squeeze in response, gradually becoming stronger as her daughter clawed her way back into consciousness.

"Amelia can you hear me?" asked Esme, standing and gently stroking her daughter's face. Amelia squeezed her hand in response and frowned. Her eyelids refused to cooperate and she began to panic when she couldn't open her eyes, her heart rate beginning to speed up.

"Amelia, you're ok. It's ok," hushed Carlisle, gently removing the rheum from the corners of her eyes and running his fingers along her eyelids. She calmed down a little, coughing loudly. She managed to move her free hand and cover her mouth, crying softly, and eventually her eyes opened. She blinked a few times, before focussing on Esme and giving her a tired smile. Carlisle adjusted her bed until it was in a more upright position. Amelia held her breath, it was evident that she was in a lot of pain.

"Welcome back," said Esme, handing Amelia some water, which she gratefully took. Amelia frowned, realising that she was not at home.

"ICU?" she whispered, noticing the glass windows and lack of other people.

"Isolation wing of the ICU, yes," confirmed Carlisle. Amelia frowned.

"What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" he answered with a question of his own.

"The concert. I vaguely remember playing the Star Wars theme. Oh gosh, did I get sick at the concert?" she asked, a look of horror on her face.

"No you didn't. We brought you home after it was finished. You looked a bit unwell but we left you to sleep it off because you had had a very long day. At 3am on Tuesday morning, you called me to your room complaining that you weren't feeling well. You had a nasty fever and burst a blood vessel with the coughing."

"I burst another blood vessel? Fantastic," she muttered sarcastically. She was obviously upset.

"You were pretty out of it in the car and we managed to stop the bleeding but it took us ages to get your fever to break. It kept on climbing and eventually Blythe healed you enough to get the fever to break."

"Healed me enough?" she asked.

"You have pneumonia."

"Go figure."

"The bleeding caused your right lung to collapse."

"No wonder my chest feels like I've been ridden over by a 16-wheeler, which then reversed and rode over me again," she joked, running her hand along her chest. Her fingers grazed the chest drain and she ran her fingers over it. She glanced to the side, and started when she saw the bladder that was nearly full of blood, "darn, that's a lot of blood. Is it all out?"

"We've emptied it once already. I think it needs to be emptied again. No, there is still more which is why we need to get you up and moving again this afternoon to help the lung to reinflate."

"Whoopee," she sighed, "can you remove the catheter while you're about it, please?"

"Let's leave it in a little longer, we're still trying to, uh, monitor your urine flow," said Carlisle, trying to move the bag before Amelia noticed. She did, and glared at him, delicately raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"How badly damaged are they?"

"Your urine colour has improved." Amelia nodded and fell silent. Carlisle stood up and emptied the plastic bladder of blood before reattaching it to the chest drain. Almost immediately a drop of blood fell into it. Amelia coughed, holding a tissue to her face that Esme handed her, and grimacing when she spied the blood embedded in the mucous. She then passed her a trash can and Amelia threw it away.

"What day is it?" she asked suddenly.

"It's just gone 8.30am on Wednesday. You were out for almost 30 hours," answered Esme. Amelia glanced at her, and offered her a smile.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she apologised.

"There was nothing you could have done, Amelia. I'm just glad that you are alright," replied Esme, giving Amelia a hug. The sharp intake of breath was not missed. Amelia was hurting.

"What now?" she asked.

"You're going to be in hospital for a while, we're looking at about a two week stay at the very least," stated Carlisle. Amelia's face fell.

"What about school?"

"Alice went yesterday and submitted your biology assignment for you. I'm sorry sweetheart, but you won't be returning to school again."

Amelia stared at him and turned her head to the side so that they could not see the tears. She took a breath and turned back to them.

"Anything else you might want to tell me?"

"This setback, for lack of a better term, had cost you greatly."

"How so?"

"Alice doesn't see you making it as far as September anymore."

"When?" she whispered, feeling panic set in.

"About 4 months from now. You're looking at about June or July, most probably sooner."

Amelia nodded, wincing in pain. She closed her eyes, sinking back on the pillows. Her thoughts were in a jumble. She was still trying to process everything. She briefly considered asking her parents to leave, but didn't want to offend them. One of the ICU nurses knocking on the glass, informing her parents that visiting hours were over. Suddenly Amelia realised that she didn't actually want to be left alone, but this was isolation after all. She felt the panic starting to return. She was surprised that her parents had been let in at all. She waved them off with fake cheer, before bursting into tears as soon as they had passed the glass window, forgetting for the moment that they had astonishing hearing.

* * *

"Let her be," said Carlisle, holding Esme tightly in his arms. She was struggling to get back to Amelia, hearing her sobbing and wanting to comfort her. They were standing only feet away from the ICU doors.

"No Carlisle Robert Cullen! Let me go right now! She needs me!" she shrieked, struggling to get out of his grip.

"Esme, not now. She needs her space. She was desperate for us to leave, she just didn't want to hurt your feelings. You know that as well as I do. Now stop this," he said firmly.

"Our daughter is dying, Carlisle, and you want me to leave her alone? We need to spend as much time with her as we can before that happens! I'm not going to sit around and waste what precious time we have left with her!"

Carlisle tightened his grip, wishing Jasper was nearby. He sent a mental wish to Alice, hoping she'd come to his rescue. He managed to get Esme out of the ICU and march her up to his office. The further they got away, the more she seemed to struggle. If only he could give her a sedative or something. Finally he made it to his office, where Emmett and Jasper were waiting. Jasper immediately moved to her side, sending waves of calmness towards the motherly figure in his life. She continued to struggle, and Emmett took over from Carlisle, holding her arms firmly behind her back.

"Come on, Esme, it's going to be alright," he said.

"Let me go!"

"No!" snapped Jasper, placing his hands on Esme's cheeks and projecting his powers even more. Esme suddenly slumped against Emmett and lost her will to fight. Very hesitantly, he loosened his grip and led her to a chair. She sat down and put her head in her hands, sobbing loudly. It nearly broke her husband and sons' unbeating hearts to witness her break down like that. Never in their entire existence had they witnessed their wife and mother lose it as she just had.

Esme loved her children, that much they had always known. But to witness her break down because she couldn't comfort her dying daughter in a moment of need was killing them all. If Amelia did not survive this, they honestly did not know if Esme would ever recover from the death of her youngest child. She had attempted suicide after she had lost her human son, and even although her situation was a thousand times better, and she was happy in her immortal life, would she do it again?

Carlisle was interrupted from reverie by the piercing sound of his cellphone ringing. He glanced down at the caller ID. Alice.

"Let Esme go back to Mia. It's hurting them both," she said, as soon as he accepted the call.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"Her future changed again. Carlisle, you need to get her out of isolation as soon as possible. She will get ICU psychosis if we are not careful. She's not in a good place right now," she explained in a rush.

"On it."

They hung up. Before Carlisle could get up and walk to Dr Westsmythe's office, the very man himself ran into the office. He had heard about what happened in the ICU – Alair had heard it clearly and informed him of what happened – and he'd also heard the heart-breaking cries of his colleague's wife echoing down the corridor. The ICU staff had also phoned him, asking if they should sedate Amelia because she was so upset. It was partly pain, partly emotional distress that was responsible for Amelia's state of mind, so he had requested that they give her some pain medication.

A second phone call informed him that Amelia had gotten even more frantic when they came into the room with the morphine and had started to hyperventilate. At that point in time, he could not decide who need who more, Amelia her mother, or Esme her daughter.

"It's been arranged," he said to Carlisle, "Esme, go back to ICU. Amelia needs you just as much as you need her. We need to leave right now. Amelia's hyperventilating."

Carlisle flew out of the room, Dr Westsmythe hot on his heels. Emmett helped Esme to her feet, and she too ran off. Emmett and Jasper glanced at each other and shrugged. Their work was done. They shut the door behind them and walked down the stairs and towards the exit.

"Wrestling match in 20?" asked Emmett, bumping fists with his brother.

"You're on," smirked Jasper.


	42. Chapter 42

"Amelia, you need to relax!" commanded Carlisle, holding her face in his hands and trying to get her to focus on him. He had just arrived at her room. Amelia struggled to get out of his grip. Carlisle let go of her face, and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him in an attempt at calming her down. It had the opposite effect. Amelia shrieked and started lashing out, screaming as she did so. It was almost as though someone was going to hurt her... She had a surprising amount of strength in her for someone recovering from her ordeal. Carlisle was concerned that she would only further hurt herself if she didn't calm down. He hated to think that this episode may well end with a trip to the operating theatre again.

"Let me go!" she continued to shriek. Tears had started rolling down her face.

"Amelia, it's okay sweetheart. Calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself anymore!"

"Get me a paper bag! And can someone please tell me why she is so hysterical?" ordered Dr Westsmythe.

"Don't touch me! Please don't hurt me! Please! I won't do it again, I promise! No! Stop it! No!" she continued to thrash around. Carlisle was mystified. He kept an eye on Amelia's vital signs. She started coughing in between her spasms. She was going to pass out if they didn't sort her out soon. He caught a snippet of conversation between one of the ICU nurses and Dr Westsmythe.

"You did what?" he exclaimed. Everything clicked into place. Amelia was reacting badly because how the morphine situation was being handled. Her past has coming back to haunt her, as it often did when she was weak. In her eyes, everyone was out to get her. Everyone wanted to hurt her. Everyone, including her own father. The fact that she was isolated for her own health was irrelevant to her, all she saw was a group of people, predominantly men, who were determined to separate her from everyone else and hurt her in ways that no one should ever be hurt.

"I want every last person out of this room. Bring Alair and Esme in here. The rest of you, get out of my daughter's room." Carlisle's words were controlled and deliberate, barely masking his fury which lurked beneath the surface. The staff did as they were told, hastily escaping from the room, and Carlisle's anger.

Esme entered, along with Alair. Esme put her hands to her face, heartbroken that her daughter was as upset as she was. Alair ran up to Amelia and placed the paper bag over her face, allowing her to breathe in the carbon dioxide and thereby stopped the hyperventilating.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Everything is alright, everything is going to be just fine. Hush Mia bug," soothed Alair, gently pushing Amelia's hair from her face. Amelia coughed violently and sank back onto the pillows, exhausted. She was still sobbing, so was Esme.

"She's okay, Esme," said Alair, gently pushing Esme towards her daughter before exiting her room. Esme pulled herself together and hesitantly walked up to her daughter and gently put the oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, before kissing her forehead and resting her own against Amelia's. Amelia weakly lifted up her arm up and touched her mother's face in reassurance. Esme placed her own hand over Amelia's and closed her eyes, soothed by the gesture.

"Please don't leave me," whispered Amelia.

"Never," promised Esme, wrapping her arms around her daughter as best she could. Amelia groaned quietly in pain at the movement.

"Can Dad give you something for the pain? Please sweetheart."

"Ok," said Amelia in defeat. Esme turned to Carlisle, who had also vanished from the room. She could vaguely hear him telling off the ICU staff and insisting that she be removed from Isolation. Dr Westsmythe was backing him up. He was on the phone to Dr Anderson, who sounded like she was agreeing with them. There were aspects of Amelia's past that were best left buried, but being in isolation was triggering some of those memories.

Amelia shifted slightly to her right and patted the empty spot next to her on the bed. Esme willingly got onto the bed next to Amelia and snaked her arm underneath the teenager. Amelia rolled onto her side and gasped as the pain shot through her chest. A fresh wave of tears fell onto the gown Esme had placed over her clothes when she had walked in. A large damp patch formed where they landed, and Esme gently brushed the others off of Amelia's face.

Alair returned with the morphine, injecting the contents of the vial into Amelia's IV line. Amelia shuddered and tensed up when she felt it enter her body. Esme held her close while she struggled against the bitter sensation flooding her body, making her feel weak and dizzy. Amelia shut her eyes and whimpered. Her world was fuzzy and spinning around.

"It's ok, precious child," soothed Esme, wrapping her free arm around Amelia's back and pulling her closer. Alair added some pillows so that when Esme let her go eventually, Amelia would still be comfortable. Carlisle returned, smiling fondly at the sight of his wife lying on a hospital bed next to his daughter.

"Good news, Amelia. We're going to be moving you from isolation a bit later. But for now, get some rest. Your mom and I will return later."

"Please can Mom stay?" whispered Amelia, "I don't want to be alone."

"Carlisle, I'm not leaving her," said Esme firmly, tightening her grip on Amelia, "look what happened the last time."

"I'm sorry," whispered Amelia.

"Hey, don't be sad. I was just as bad. Your dad had to drag me away from here when I heard you start crying."

"Oh no, you heard that? I'm so sorry Mom." Amelia started panicking.

"It's ok, Amelia."

"Amelia Grace, relax. Your body had been through hell and back. Don't make me sedate you," threatened Carlisle. Amelia whimpered again, this time in fear.

"Carlisle," chided Esme.

* * *

An exhausted Amelia finally fell asleep about half an hour later. Carlisle and Alair moved Amelia from the isolation unit to general ICU. True to her word, Esme had not left her alone. She was lying on the bed next to her sleeping teenage daughter, in the exact same position as earlier. Carlisle left them in peace for a couple of hours, before coming to check up on them. He held the get well soon cards that her friends had made for her in his hands, as well as Amelia's favourite dressing gown, the one Esme had brought her back in New York, and a pair of slippers.

"Do you think she will ever get used to me?" asked Carlisle, depositing the gown and slippers at the end of Amelia's bed and putting the cards up where she would be able to see them.

"How do you mean?"

"It seems that with every step forward I take with Amelia, we take two steps back."

"Is this about earlier?"

"It's about earlier, and about every other time she has shied away from me."

"Carlisle, she got hurt badly by adults, the very people who are meant to take care of her. She loves you, but sometimes she gets upset by things and it makes her scared and lash out. I don't think she was targeting you specifically. Also, you weren't very nice to her earlier. I just hope that one day, she can move on from her past. I'd like to think that she is getting better."

"But when she gets locked in her memories, she never seems to fear Jasper or Emmett or even Edward." He completed the task of putting up the cards and sat down in a chair next to Amelia's bed.

"Simple. They are her brothers in her eyes - her siblings, her protectors. You are not, you are the 'adult' in the family, her father. In her experience, some of the so-called fathers have been abusive. She knows you would never hurt her like that, she knows that you will go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe," said Esme gently.

"She's right," a hoarse voice broke into their conversation. Amelia was awake. She shifted her position and grimaced in pain as she did. Esme handed her some water, which she took gratefully. Carlisle stayed silent, patiently waiting for her to continue. Thanking Esme, she settled back into the pillows.

"I know you'll keep me safe, Dad. I know you love me - that is something that I never have and never will doubt. I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"Oh Amelia," was all Carlisle could manage. Amelia opened her arms and he came to stand next to her bed so that he could give his beloved human child a hug.

"Daddy," she whispered. Esme joined in on the hug, happy that peace had been restored. The trio separated and Amelia noticed the cards.

"Cards?" she asked, her brow crinkling.

"Daniella, Narcisse and Amy dropped them off for you yesterday. They made them during lunch hour. There's a teddy bear for you as well, but it's still in Dad's office. He didn't want to subject it to a decontamination. Speaking of, we brought you a little something from home," said Esme, rifling through her handbag for the well-worn teddy bear that had spent as much time in hospital as Amelia had.

"Wow. That is so sweet of them. I've never had get well soon cards before. Thank you for bringing him, Mom. He's spent every hospitalisation with me," said Amelia gratefully, holding the bear close to herself. She set him down on her bedside table.

"Do you feel up to getting out of bed for a while? Exercise will help your lungs get better," asked Carlisle.

"Anything to help me get home sooner. Is there any chance that maybe I can be put into a normal ward, maybe even High Care?"

"Not right now, Amelia. It's already pushing it to have you in a regular ICU room, let's not push it any further."

"Ok," she replied glumly as she gingerly shifted towards the end of the bed, grimacing as she did so. Carlisle picked her up and gently deposited her on the floor. Amelia shut her eyes, her world spinning.

"My legs feel so shaky," she said, as she clung onto Carlisle.

"It's the morphine, sweetheart. I'm sorry," apologised Carlisle. Esme helped Amelia put on her slippers and draped her dressing gown around her thin shoulders. Amelia took a step forward and wobbled precariously. Esme supported her by placing her arm beneath Amelia's and allowing her to lean on her. Carlisle braced the other side. It was slow, it was agonising. By the time they reached the end of the ward, Amelia was sweating profusely and her breathing was strained. She took a break, trying to breathe through the pain that the physical activity was causing her.

"No more, please, I can't. I'll try again later, I promise, but I just can't go on," she begged her parents.

"Do you think you can make it back to your room?" queried Carlisle.

Amelia shook her head. She was resilient and tough, but also knew her limits. This was one of them. Carlisle, realising that she was overdoing it, picked her up again and carried her back to her room. When he tried to put her back on her bed, she tightened her grip on his neck and shook her head. Instead, he sat down with her on his lap and she snuggled closer.

"You're a walking air conditioner," she stated. Carlisle pressed an icy hand to her cheek and she sighed in contentment, making her parents laugh.

"You should have seen him when he was trying to bring your temperature down," giggled Esme.

"Hm, instead of a cold bath, use vampire skin. You could be on to something here, Dad," replied Amelia, yawning widely.

"How did you know, Esme?" asked Carlisle, equal parts surprised and embarrassed.

"Blythe told me. Alair apparently had a hard time trying to keep some of the young nurses from ogling." Esme raised an eyebrow and winked at Amelia.

"Alair made me do it, and moreover, Emmett did it first," he said defensively, bottom lip jutting out like a child.

"Yes dear," she replied patiently.

"That's your excuse, stick to it," chimed in Amelia. She smiled at him, before continuing seriously, "thank you for taking care of me, Dad. Please tell Blythe and Alair thank you from me as well."

"Anytime, Amelia," replied Carlisle, holding his daughter just a little closer. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"No, really. Both of you, thank you so much for everything. I appreciate all that you have done for me. You welcomed me into your family with open arms, shown me what it feels like to be loved, taken care of me. I could go on, but thank you."

"You can cross that one off the bucket list," whispered Esme, "you are a very treasured member of our family. I cannot fathom how we survived without you. It's hard to remember sometimes that you've only been with us for what, a couple of weeks? It's like you were always here. You were meant to be part of our family."

"The first time I saw you in ICU back in New York after that bleeder I promised myself that I will go to the ends of the earth and back to protect you. After your fever finally broke and I left the room yesterday, and got to see you through the thick isolation glass window, I vowed once again that nothing would ever happen to you on my watch. Anyone who tries to mess with you will have to go through each and every one of us first," stated Carlisle.

He felt Amelia smile, and bury her head in his chest. She yawned again.

"I think someone needs a bit of a nap," said Esme with a smile.

"I'm a little hungry. Do you think maybe I could get something to eat?" queried Amelia.

"I'm sure we can knock up something for you quickly," said Carlisle, frowning as he recalled Dr Anderson's words of advice, "mind if I test your blood glucose levels quickly?"

"Go right ahead," Amelia responded, stretching her hand out so that Carlisle might prick her finger. He did so, and was a little alarmed to see a reading of 4.0.

"It's 4.0," he stated.

"The normal range for a Type 1 is 4-6mmol/litre before meals. Give or take. So I'm the lower limit of normal. Not bad going Mia," she high-fived herself, "but time for some food methinks."

"Lunch time," agreed Esme.


	43. Chapter 43

By late Thursday morning, Carlisle and Esme were growing concerned for their daughter whose carefree behaviour of the previous afternoon was long gone, replaced by a quiet and somewhat unresponsive teenager. Amelia had never been a moody teenager, the only time she had ever shown a hint of typical teenaged stroppiness was her first week with them after they had debated the cinema trip, but even that was short-lived and she had removed herself from the discussion before she snapped at her family, exiting the house to let out her frustration before retreating to her bedroom to do homework and immerse herself in her music. This depressive state, albeit predicted by Alice, was so unlike her.

"Hey Mia bug," tried Esme, adopting the nickname that the nursing staff had bestowed upon Amelia back in New York. Amelia lay on her side, staring into space. Esme figuratively scratched her head in uncertainty. It was just the two of them, Carlisle had been called away to tend to a patient in the emergency room. Esme was determined to get a reaction out of Amelia other than her frequent coughing which permeated the silence, and she was also determined to remain upbeat and happy in order to coax her daughter out of her protective cocoon and back into the present.

"Your cousins from Denali have arrived for a visit. There's Eleazar and Carmen, they're kind of like Carlisle and me I suppose, the so-called parents. Then there's Kate and Tanya, who are sisters. Tanya is the coven leader, technically speaking. There was a third sister, Irina, but she died a little while back. Lastly there is Garrett, who is Kate's mate. He was a nomad until recently. They are looking forward to meeting you."

Dead silence greeted Esme. She sighed softly, before moving her chair to the side Amelia was facing. She stared at her daughter. Her face seemed impossibly pale, Amelia really hadn't been exaggerating when she said that she was paler than her siblings and parents. Her green eyes, usually so bright and full of life, were glassy and dull. Amelia's pupils were dilated, a sure sign that the opioids were partially responsible for her state. Her dark hair was limp and knotted and needed a wash. Amelia had lost all of the weight that she and Esme had fought so hard to gain, and then some. She was literally and figuratively wasting away in front of them. Esme picked up Amelia's free hand and linked their fingers, squeezing her daughter's hand gently. Still no response. She briefly wondered if her daughter could actually hear her – she gave no indication at all that she was even the slightest bit aware that Esme was in her room.

"Tomorrow is your birthday," she tried again, "we had to cancel your party I'm afraid but we will have one when you get out of here, how does that sound?"

Finally a response. A flicker of emotion ran through her eyes. Amelia's eyes darted to her mother for a split second and went back to staring into space. It happened so quickly that Esme briefly wondered if she had imagined it.

"I'm really sorry that your party had to be cancelled, I know you were looking forward to it. We all were. I know your friends are quite disappointed too, but they are worried about you and just want you to get better soon. There's always next year's birthday, right? It'll be your first one as one of us, won't that be grand?" she continued.

While Esme was speaking, she didn't immediately notice the single tear that slowly made its way down Amelia's fragile cheekbone. When she did, she watched it halt at the nasal cannula, before moving beneath it to course its way to the bottom of her jaw and drip onto her pillow. Amelia locked eyes briefly with her mother, blinking back the tears before shutting her eyes for the last time. The tears continued to flow freely, but Amelia fell asleep anyway.

Esme wiped the tears from her face and ran her fingers gently along her daughter's face, tracing her bones, every angle and curve, committing them to memory. She kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Sleep tight my angel. I love you lots," she whispered before she left the room, leaving Amelia to get some more rest.

* * *

Amelia awoke about an hour later to an empty room. She sighed in relief, grateful to be left alone. It was just too hard for her to keep with appearances for her parents' benefit. She barely spoke to anyone on Wednesday evening or Thursday, stating she needed time alone to think things through. Only Alice and Edward knew the bitter truth – Amelia was reconsidering her decision to become immortal. Nothing had been determined yet, but Amelia just needed time to process all that was happening. Immortality would give her a second chance, a chance at a healthy life. But did she want to be the soulless, damned monster that her siblings still believed they were? A month ago, Amelia thought that she had known all the answers. And yet she lay in ICU, alone, cut off from the rest of the world, scared and above all else, dying.

She was tired, heavens, she was tired of fighting her own body, of fighting to live, fighting to do something as simple as taking a breath. She had simply had enough. She had no more energy to keep on with the battle. Her fighting spirit was dwindling, on the brink of desertion. Immortality had its perks, but suddenly Amelia was not sure anymore if she wanted that second chance.

Amelia thought of Edward, her eldest brother who had held so strongly to the belief that he was little more than a monstrous killing machine, the world's most dangerous predator. Amelia knew of Edward's deep-seated resentment towards his life. But she also knew that Bella and Renesmee kept him grounded, and made him realise that there was more to his life that just being a lethal killer.

She thought of Rosalie, her eldest sister whose bitterness towards immortality had defined her for so long. Her desire to have a child of her own had been cut short by her then-fiancé, who had left her for dead in the street, and Carlisle had taken away what little hope she still clung to when he had turned her. Time had mellowed her, and Renesmee helped a great deal in that regard. Rosalie was her rock, the big sister she turned to for advice, the one who never failed to rescue her from anyone and anything, and who would probably cheerfully follow through on a threat if it meant her little sister was safe.

She thought of Jasper, the mysterious "youngest" brother, not in age, but in time spent with the Cullens. Jasper, whose past demons still haunted him, the brother who struggled the most with their 'diet', the brother who kept his distance from his youngest sister because of his fear that he may hurt her. Amelia never doubted that Jasper loved her. As soldiers often do, he acted on instinct, and she appreciated how difficult it must have been for him when she got sick.

Amelia then thought of Emmett, the annoying middle brother, whose sole purpose in life was to enjoy it. Emmett took pleasure in the simple things, his generally happy-go-lucky nature made him a lot of fun to be around. His love for Rosalie was pure, and he had done most of her healing from the events leading up to her transformation. His need to protect his fragile little sister never failed to bring a smile to Amelia's face.

She thought of Alice, her crazy and pixie-like middle sister who drove her, along with the rest of the family, totally mad on a good day. Alice had no memories of her past life, only facts that she had accrued from others, and to some extent, it was probably kinder to her in a time where her gift was shunned and written off as either witchcraft or insanity. Alice too acted on instinct, and that is probably what made her and Jasper so right for each other. They could get lost in their own little world.

She thought of Bella, her sister-in-law, who never made her desire to be immortal a secret, and who had put it to vote. Renesmee's birth had led to Bella's immortality, and she was happy, even if it meant knowing that one day she would have to watch her parents die.

Then there was Esme – the matriarch of the family, the proverbial anchor, the one who kept the family together. Esme's love for everyone was unrivalled, her desire to see her family happy and thriving was what drove her. Like Rosalie, she had experienced a brand of hell that no one should ever have to go through, and her only chance at happiness had been taken away from her when her baby died. Carlisle's love for her helped her to heal and she was arguably one of the strongest in the family, perhaps not in a physical sense. In spite of her inner strength, Amelia knew that she had not handled her latest setback very well, and she was worried about Esme.

Lastly, there was Carlisle – the serene patriarch of the family. His compassion was unrivalled, his love for his family strong, and his joy when his wife was happy made Amelia realise just how deep the bonds of love ran between the two. He was patient and it was through his guiding hand that his children were the people that they were today. He never judged them because of their choices, but his children wanted only his approval, which he gave in abundance. Carlisle, who still believed after all this time that he deserved the hatred and anger for turning three of his children, and his wife, and who accepted each lash of temper and anger and hatred that his children, particularly Edward and Rosalie, had dealt over the years.

Amelia redirected her thoughts, focussing on her vampire friends. Alair, who strove to help as many people as she could with her gift and whose cheerful demeanour could light up a room; Samantha, who blended in with everyone else and could always bring a smile to your face; Blythe, whose beautiful gift was equally a curse, who had to make some tough decisions, but took them in her stride and tried to justify her decisions to herself. And finally Bree, whose desire to be 'good' had gotten her killed, but whose final thoughts were of the friend that she held close to her heart.

Amelia's thoughts were all over. She wished she could speak to someone about it, to vocalise her thoughts without hurting anyone. That would be an impossible task, and one she was not looking forward to. She realised that Alice probably knew of her new-found uncertainty, and if Alice knew, Edward probably did too. It was almost guaranteed that Jasper and Bella knew as well, Amelia just hoped that they would spare Esme the news.


	44. Chapter 44

On Friday morning, Carlisle and Esme made their way to the ICU as was fast becoming the routine. They had originally intended on being there before Amelia woke up, they both hated the idea that their 'baby girl' might wake up alone, especially seeing that it was her birthday after all. Their intentions were noble, but sadly for them, Amelia was already awake. They were greeted to the sound of her voice having a friendly banter with Alair when they entered the ICU. Carlisle and Esme sighed in relief - Amelia was clearly having a better day and had snapped out of her depression.

"Come on, Alair. Please get them to remove the chest drain. I can't take this itchy, annoying, thorn in my side, literally and figuratively speaking," she cajoled, dragging out the last syllable.

"You keep that thorn in your side until your daddy says so," retorted Alair, bustling about the room.

"Aww come on bug!" begged Amelia, "it can be a birthday present from you to me."

"Nice try, Amelia Grace Theodore-Cullen," huffed Alair. The pair giggled quietly.

"Good morning, _bella Mia_ ," greeted Esme, cheerfully bouncing into the room in an impression worthy of Alice.

"Morning Mom, Dad," she greeted, glancing up at her parents and breaking into a smile.

"Good to see you are back with us, Amelia. How are you feeling this morning?" queried Carlisle, immediately going to take a look in her file.

"I'm actually feeling pretty good today. Better than I have in a couple of months I must admit," replied Amelia honestly. It was true. She was feeling great for a change.

"Well that is wonderful to hear," said Carlisle, a genuine smile lighting up his face. Esme squealed and bounced towards her daughter, giving her a hug. Alair, on the other hand, glared at Carlisle, and snatched the file away from him.

"You go and wish your daughter a happy birthday, Carlisle Cullen. Stop being her doctor and be her father for a change, darn it," she rebuked quietly enough so that Amelia wouldn't hear them, exiting the room with the file in her hand.

"Happy birthday, Amelia," exclaimed Esme, still holding onto her daughter tightly.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," echoed Carlisle, coming to stand on Amelia's other side and hugging her as well.

"Thank you, oh parental figures," came the muffled response. Esme snorted delicately and disentangled herself from her daughter, before presenting her with a cup of tea in a travel mug.

"For you," she said.

"The drink of the gods," commented Amelia, sighing happily as she took a sip of tea, "thank you, Mom. This hospital tea tastes even worse than at Rochester. I think Sam was replacing the teabags with something that actually tasted decent, although why she needed it is beyond me."

"That wouldn't surprise me," murmured Esme, "she had her own stash of coffee too."

"Guess what day it is?" Alice exclaimed, bursting into Amelia's room a split second later and startling the sickly teenager.

"Friday?" queried Amelia, eyebrows knitting together, "hello Alice, by the way. Good to see you again. How on earth did you get in here?"

"Good to see you too, Mia. It's February 29! And let's not get holed up on the technicalities," she exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Your point?" yawned Amelia, squinting at Alice.

"It's your 16th birthday!"

"No it's not. My birthday is in July," replied Amelia, deadpan. Alice stopped and stared at her, jaw falling slack. She unfocussed, going into a vision, and came out almost immediately.

"Liar," she accused. Amelia giggled. Carlisle and Esme exchanged glances before bursting into laughter at Alice's horrified expression. Alice huffed at them.

"Sorry Ali, I couldn't resist that one," grinned Amelia cheekily. Alice winked at her little sister, not minding in the slightest. It was good to see her little sister in good spirits, actually, it was just plain good to see her again.

"I will see you later," Alice said, turning her heel and exiting the room. She came back a moment later.

"Happy birthday, Mia," she wished.

"Thanks Ali," she replied. Alice bounded away, presumably towards the exit and back home.

"She will see me later?" asked Amelia of Carlisle.

"Guess the cat's out the bag now. We are going to have a little celebration in the cafeteria today. I've arranged for you to be let out of ICU for an hour. I'm sorry it's not for longer but it's the best I could do."

"Thanks Dad," smiled Amelia, a big smile breaking out on her face, "I can't wait to get out of here for a little while."

"Mind if I check your chest drain?" he queried.

"Um, okay?" she answered with a question. He averted his eyes as he tugged down the gown that she was wearing in order to check the drainage site. No bras were allowed in ICU, a fact which Amelia detested. It was awkward for her, and perhaps more so for her doctors, most of whom were males. Carlisle grabbed his stethoscope and placed the earpieces in his ears and placed the diaphragm against her chest. He could hear every agonising breath his daughter took with more clarity than ever and it pained him to listen to it.

"I think we can take your chest drain out," he announced, taking the earpieces out and putting his stethoscope down and tugging Amelia's gown back up.

"Yay," cheered Amelia and Esme. Carlisle left the room briefly and returned with Alair. He had made it abundantly clear to all of the ICU staff that when Alair was on shift, she was the only one allowed to treat her. One of the night staff nurses whom he trusted, a delightful nurse called Ellie, took care of Amelia at night. The two got on very well.

"You know the drill, sweetheart," said Alair, prepping Amelia for the removal. Amelia grimaced and reached over to hold her mom's hand. The procedure was over in a few minutes, and soon Amelia had some stitches and a plaster covering the site. A grumble of a tummy alerted Esme to her daughter's empty stomach.

"Hungry?" she asked hopefully. Amelia had been eating so little these days.

"A little bit," she replied. Her stomach gurgled louder. "Ok, quite a bit."

Carlisle stifled a laugh. Esme enthusiastically opened up a small basket that Carlisle had carried in and started stacking a wide variety of Tupperware containers in neat columns on the tray in front of Amelia. She placed the last one atop the stack with a flourish and beamed down at her daughter, who was staring at the mass of Tupperware with bemusement.

"Alice said you would want some scones. I thought you might want a muffin. So I brought both. I figured you might want a sweet muffin rather than a savoury one, so I got chocolate chip. And there's some cream, some cheese, some jam and some butter," said Esme, pointing to each container as she spoke, "I hope it's ok."

"It's perfect, thank you so much Mom," replied Amelia in earnest.

"Your mom and I wanted to treat you to a breakfast in Port Angeles at this, and I quote, "cute little coffee shop" on your birthday that Caroline recommended, but sadly that will have to wait until another day. So we decided to bring the coffee shop to you," broke in Carlisle, smiling at Esme, "House of Cullen at your service, milady," he concluded with a bow, tipping his imaginary hat.

"No McDonalds for you," scolded Esme playfully.

"You're making me eat all healthily. You guys are so boring," she groaned in mock disappointment, dragging out the last few syllables. Her parents laughed and exchanged a brief kiss. Amelia tucked in heartily.

* * *

"Is it ok to give her a bath?" asked Esme shortly before lunch. Amelia was sleeping again, hand clasped tightly around her favourite teddy bear. Esme knew her daughter would want to look and smell somewhat presentable for her impromptu birthday party. Carlisle nodded, grabbed the bag with all Amelia's bath products and went to the nearest bathroom and ran his daughter a bath. Steam filled the air. He shut off the taps, and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself. He walked back into Amelia's room.

"Amelia, sweetheart, time to wake up," said Esme softly, gently shaking her daughter awake. Amelia groaned unintelligibly and pulled the covers over her head, disappearing from sight. Fake snoring was heard. Admittedly Amelia was a heavy breather, her sinuses were often blocked and her chest was constantly full of phlegm so she breathed very loudly when she was asleep. But snoring? No, that was not something she did. Amelia was faking it in the hopes that they might leave her to snooze for a little longer. No such luck.

"Typical teenager," muttered Carlisle with a smile. Finally, his daughter was starting to act like the teenager she really was, not the adult that she had been forced to become. His mind flashed back to their last morning in New York and he grinned evilly. He whipped off the covers and placed an icy hand on her neck, and a second on her calf.

Amelia bolted upright, and when she realised what had happened, fixated her father with her trademark 'Amelia-glare' as Emmett had called it, right eyebrow arched, eyes narrowed, arms crossed over her chest and a facial expression that could kill. If Amelia gave him that look, Emmett generally escaped the room. More often than not, he was the cause of that look anyway.

"Where the heck is your snooze button, oh icy alarm clock?" she asked, sarcasm dripping heavily from her voice.

"Icy alarm clock does not come with a snooze button," he retorted, mimicking her expression and crossing his arms as well.

"I have two hands as well, and I am not afraid to use them," Esme threatened playfully, holding out her hands as though they were weapons.

"Mo-om! I thought you were my ally!" exclaimed Amelia in mock horror, rearranging her facial features into one of her other trademark expressions, her big puppy dog eyes and jutting out lower lip. She added a tremble for extra effect. Esme looked away. She was powerless to that face. She decided to play her trump card.

"If you don't get out of bed now, you won't have time for a bit of bath time pampering before your party."

That did the trick. Amelia swung her legs to the side of her bed and started to stand up. Before her feet could touch the floor, Esme stopped her and picked her up gently.

"Thank goodness. I've got body odour that could kill a goat!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip around her mother and allowing her to carry her to the bathroom. It was just as well, as Esme had to physically stop in her tracks and roar with laughter. Carlisle chuckled at the sound. For the first time since Monday evening, he saw the familiar spark in both his wife and youngest daughter. Their baby girl was back, and she was getting better.


	45. Chapter 45

"So how does it feel to be 16?" asked Esme as she wrapped Amelia's hair in a towel and left the teenager to soak in the bathtub. Amelia blinked lazily and scrunched up her nose.

"No different to 15, I guess," she replied, "I thought that there might be some sort of fanfare or whatever. Pretty boring really. I feel loads better today though, like I have more energy again."

"Well I hope it lasts," said Esme as she sat down and leaned her back against the wall.

"Me too," sighed Amelia. She coughed violently, then leaned forward to pull out the plug from the bottom of the bathtub.

"Too steamy?" asked Esme, standing up and handing her daughter a towel. Amelia wrapped it around herself and climbed out of the bathtub, shivering at the sudden change in temperature.

"A little bit, yes. It's the hot steam that bothers me. It really doesn't help the congestion. The extractor fan in my bathroom at home makes it a lot easier to breathe. The cold really helps me though," she commented, drying herself as quickly as she could. Esme wrapped her up in her dressing gown and helped her back to her room, before helping her change into her favourite, and mercifully clean, pyjamas. They had a Winnie the Pooh iron-on patch on the front of the baby pink pyjama top; the bottoms were made of the same pale pink fabric that had smaller versions of the iron-on patch printed all over it.

Esme finished off the effect by wrapping Amelia back up in her gown. Amelia put some thick socks on and stuck her feet into some Ugg-like slippers lined with fleece. Amelia either sweated profusely or turned into an ice cube – there was no in between. She was currently on a heavy dose of corticosteroids which made her feel very hot most of the time, but today it was not too bad. She would probably warm up later and then find herself stripping down to the barest minimum. If she was near a vampire, she intended on using their air conditioning capabilities.

"These pyjamas smell amazing," Amelia commented, holding the top up to her nose and sniffing it.

"Do you like it? I'll buy that brand of detergent again and wash your blankets in it."

"Thanks Mom. There is just something about clean, nice-smelling pyjamas," she yawned.

"I agree," chuckled Esme, "although perhaps we ought to put you in something else, because it seems like you are about to fall asleep on me."

"It's a soothing smell," said Amelia defensively, crossing her arms so that Esme couldn't attempt to wrestle her clothing off. Esme smiled fondly at the teenager. Alair walked into the room and winked at the teenager, before attaching her nasal cannula to the portable concentrator.

"Come, _Bella Mia_ , it's time for your party," stated the caramel-haired woman, extending her hand to her daughter. Amelia took it. "There's no need to break down the door, Emmett. We are coming," she muttered, knowing her son could hear her from where he was positioned – pacing up and down the corridor outside the ICU. The pair made their way slowly to the entrance of the ICU and left.

"Squirt!" crowed Emmett, delighted to see his littlest sister.

"Emmy-bear!" grinned Amelia, going towards her big brother and hugging him closely, "I missed you!"

"I missed you more, littlest squirt. Don't do that again. I had to take off my t-shirt in the middle of winter to cool you down. Ugh."

"I apologise sincerely, though I suspect the human females who bore witness to your state of shirtlessness didn't object one bit."

"That they definitely did not do," called Rosalie, who had just entered the corridor. She walked up to her little sister and hugged her too, "happy birthday, Mia."

"Thanks Rose," smiled Amelia, "good to see you again."

"Likewise. Now Alice sent me down here to get the show on the road. She's on the verge of making a hole in the floor with all her bouncing. Please, spare our sanity and the hideous linoleum flooring, even although a gigantic hole will probably be an improvement, and let's get moving."

"Yes, Rosie," saluted Amelia. Emmett scooped his little sister up in his arms and carried her up the cafeteria. "Enjoying your weight-lifting, bro?"

"Squirt, I lift cars for weights, boulders too. You weigh less than 100 pounds. It's not even a work-out," he said playfully.

"Hulk smash?" she enquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't give him any ideas please, Amelia," begged Esme, "I really do like the Forks house."

"Sorry Mom," giggled Amelia. Esme shook her head and walked ahead of them.

"Hulk smash," whispered Emmett.

"I heard that!"

"Sorry Mom!" the pair chorused, before dissolving into laughter. They were still chortling when they arrived at the cafeteria. A small brown-haired girl raced towards Emmett and Amelia as soon as they walked through the door.

"Aunty Mia!" exclaimed Renesmee in pure delight, "Put her down Uncle Emmett!"

"Hey Nessie. I missed you, angel," gasped Amelia, putting her arms around her niece, who threw herself into her aunt's arms as soon as she was standing on her own two feet, winding her in the process. 'I'm fine,' she mouthed to the rest of her family, who had jumped to their feet in concern.

"It's so good to see you again, Aunty Mia!"

"It's awesome to see you again too, my sweetheart. It's just Mia, remember?"

"Your concert was so good! Oh, and happy birthday! Are you surprised?" Renesmee asked in that adorable voice of hers. She was so innocent and Amelia was glad that Renesmee had been largely spared of the horrors that existed in the world, in the human world at the very least.

"Very surprised," promised Amelia solemnly, taking the small girl by the hand and walking to where the rest of her family were standing. The cafeteria was quite empty - only one other table was occupied by a group of exhausted-looking interns desperately clinging onto their coffee cups.

Her family had pushed a few tables together to create one long table that had a cake, some snacks and a stack of presents. Amelia giggled at all the food and cold drink that dominated the table. Someone, presumably Alice, had tacked a banner on the wall with the words 'Happy Birthday Amelia' printed on it in purple sparkly letters.

"Happy birthday, Amelia!" chorused her family. Amelia smiled shyly and ducked her head. She hugged Jasper, Edward and Bella, before Esme led her to where the Denali's were sitting.

"This is Carmen, Eleazar, Tanya, Kate and Garret," she said, pointed them all out as she spoke.

"Hello everyone," she said shyly, blushing a deep shade of red.

"It's lovely to finally meet this special girl whom Esme speaks of all the time," said Carmen warmly, standing up to greet the teenager. The others shook hands with Amelia, except for Kate who was afraid that she might inadvertently shock Amelia. Amelia was a little confused but dismissed it, realising that Kate was either thirsty or possessed a gift that could harm her. A quick glance to her golden eyes told her that it was the latter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Amelia, "thank you very much for making the effort to come out here. When did you arrive in Forks?"

"Early on Wednesday morning. It's been a long two days waiting to meet you," teased Tanya.

"Sorry," apologised Amelia, embarrassed.

"Not your fault, sweetheart," said Kate, "sorry for keeping my distance, I am just concerned that I may hurt you with my powers."

"Phew! I thought I smelt bad," joked Amelia, relieved that Kate wasn't intentionally trying to hurt her feelings.

"You did state that you had body odour that could kill a goat," teased Esme fondly, pulling her daughter into her lap and wrapping her arms around her. Amelia hummed contentedly and leaned against Esme. Carmen grinned at Esme's expression. It was one of pure joy. Amelia's relaxed demeanour told her that she was making progress, the Denali's had been informed of Amelia's past the previous evening and Carmen had felt an unexpected protective instinct flare up in her. It intensified more so now that she had met the teenager whose body may be failing her but who also possessed an inner strength that no one quite realised the depth of.

"I have psychic electrokinesis, meaning that I can shock someone with the touch of a hand. It was first limited to the palms of my hands, but now I can project it all over my body. The unfortunate bit is that I need to touch someone in order for it to work," explained Kate, realising that Amelia was too polite to ask exactly what her power was, and that Carlisle probably had not told her either.

"That's pretty cool," said Amelia.

"Yeah, except when your husband is getting shocked constantly so that you can learn how to expand your shield," grumbled Bella good-naturedly. Edward groaned in agreement.

"I take it you are not affected then, Bella?" queried Amelia, turning around to look at her as she addressed her.

"Nope," smiled Bella smugly.

"Show-off," called Kate, sticking her tongue out. Amelia giggled.

"We are also the oldest in the room," said Tanya smugly.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. Kate and I were created around about 1000 AD."

"Whoa, you've been around for a whole millennium?" whispered Amelia, mindful of the sleepy interns sitting at the opposite end of the cafeteria. Both Tanya and Kate nodded.

"Time to cut the cake!" exclaimed Alice, leading Amelia to the middle of the table.

"Sadly we can't light the candles," said Carlisle, "we'd probably set the fire alarms off."

"Flames and an open oxygen line. What could possibly go wrong?" asked Amelia, drily, "Plus, I don't think I have the lung capacity to blow out one candle, never mind 16."

"We need to sing to you," stated Alice.

"Oh heck no, Alice, please do not!" begged Amelia. Her family ignored her and started singing anyway. In spite of her protests, Amelia was secretly delighted and no one could have wiped the smile off of her face. Alice held out a knife and Amelia looked alarmed, refusing to take the knife from Alice. She raised her hands, which were trembling. Everyone else looked confused, not quite understanding Amelia's hesitation.

"So you can cut the cake," stated Alice, as though it were obvious.

"I know that Ali, it's just really sharp. What if I cut myself or something stupid like that, I don't want to make things more uncomfortable than they already are for some of us," she whispered, eyes wide. Realisation dawned in the group. Jasper and Bella were struggling, eyes darker than usual, and it had not escaped Amelia's notice. She didn't want to potentially create a situation where her siblings were uncomfortable, a situation that could very well end badly and expose their secret. Carmen smiled at her, not many humans would think like Amelia did. Rosalie stood up and took the knife from Alice.

"You can't not cut your own cake, Alice will not be impressed. Let's do it together, ok? Just one small cut, and I'll do the rest. Nothing will happen, I promise. Don't forget to make a wish," she instructed.

"Thanks Rose," she said quietly, allowing her sister to take over. Rosalie winked at her. When the cake had been cut, Amelia handed some to Renesmee, and then put three slices aside, asking Carlisle to give them to Dr Westsmythe so that Daniella, Narcisse and Amy could get some cake too. She had an idea and glanced towards Edward, who nodded. She put a few slices on a paper plate and slowly, with Edward's help, made her way to the interns and shared her cake with them too. They smiled and thanked her.

"She is such a lovely child," commented Carmen, watching Amelia sharing her birthday cake with others.

"Does anyone here want cake?" Amelia joked when she returned to the table, "I feel so rude not sharing."

"Oh sweetie, that is so thoughtful of you," gushed Carmen, who had taken an instant liking to Amelia, "but no thank you."

"Ok Auntie Carmen," she sighed, before sitting down and stabbing a piece of birthday cake with a cake fork.

"It's just Carmen, thanks," she winked at the teenager. Amelia smiled back shyly and took another bite.

"Present opening time!" exclaimed Alice, removing the plate from Amelia's hands. She looked up in confusion, frowning slightly, uncertain of what was happening.

"Alice, let her finish her cake," said Jasper softly, picking up on Amelia's uncertainty.

"But she only has half an hour left with us! She can take her cake back to the ICU, she can't take her presents back," said Alice, voice rising.

"You're overwhelming her. She's not used to this sort of fuss being made of her and she's starting to get scared. Look at her," he whispered. Amelia was staring blankly into space, trying not to panic. Her heart was already kicking into overdrive. Bella held her breath, Amelia's fight or flight response was strong, and it made her smell irresistible.

"Amelia, why don't we take a quick walk and burn off that chocolate cake?" suggested Carmen, "Esme, shall we?"

They both stood up and walked over to Amelia, easing her up and out of the chair. Each woman supported an arm and the trio walked to the exit of the cafeteria.

"Are you alright, _chica bebé_?" asked Carmen kindly as they walked along.

"Yes thank you. Excuse me a minute," replied Amelia politely. She spied a bathroom up ahead, and gently removed her mother and aunt's hands from her shoulders before calmly walking inside.

"Uh oh," commented Esme, pinching the bridge of her nose, "she's been doing so well, and saying that she felt really great."

"What's wrong?" asked Carmen, concerned for her new-found favourite human. Esme flinched as Amelia started coughing violently. "Oh Esme, the poor _chica_. Is she alright?"

"Give me minute to take care of her. She's going to throw up," stated Esme, following her daughter into the bathroom, "breathe sweetie."

"I sort of can't breathe right now Mom," gasped Amelia, before heaving and losing her birthday cake to the porcelain toilet bowl, along with several nasty-looking thick, sticky masses of phlegm. Esme did what she did best when Amelia was throwing up, and rubbed her back and held her hair out of the way.

"Well, at least those mucous-y _things_ are out," said stated Esme when Amelia was finally done emptying her stomach, struggling to find a proper term for the hideous masses of luminous yellow caked with red that her daughter coughed up.

"This toilet smells disgusting. It makes me want to throw up again," Amelia commented weakly, wiping her mouth with some toilet paper and tossing it in the bowl, before dropping the lid and flushing the toilet.

"I agree. Shall we get you out of here?" asked Esme, tugging Amelia to her feet. Amelia nodded gratefully, walking out of the cubicle. Carmen passed her some water in a styrofoam cup and Amelia rinsed her mouth, then washed her hands and splashed water on her face, drying it off with some paper towels.

"Do you want to go back and open up your presents or shall we go back to your room?" asked Carmen, taking in the exhaustion that suddenly was evident on Amelia's face. She had lost her colouring, looking greyer than usual.

"I think it's a little rude to leave like this. I owe it to everyone, particularly Alice and your family, Carmen, to open up the gifts. You came from so far away to meet me and celebrate my birthday with me."

"Amelia, I think we should take you back to your room and let you get some rest. You've had enough excitement for one day," said Esme, gently pushing the wispy bits of hair out of Amelia's face. Amelia's face fell, and she burst into tears suddenly. Her control had been hanging on by a thread, and getting sick at her birthday party, if you could even call it that, was the last straw. She snapped.

"I hate this wretched disease! All I wanted was one blasted day without getting sick, and this is what happens? I can't do this anymore! I can't do this! I'm so tired of fighting. Kill me already, darn it, just kill me already! Let me go!" she shrieked at no one in particular, her hands balling into fists, which Esme deftly grabbed and held firmly. She then moved so that Amelia's back was right against her chest and pinned her teenage daughter's body against her own. Amelia wouldn't damage property, but she may inflict that damage on herself and Esme didn't want her to hurt herself.

"Get Carlisle please," she asked Carmen, tightening her grip on Amelia as she sobbed loudly, letting out the frustration, anger and sorrow that had been building up over the past few days. Carmen took off running.

"Hush Amelia, it's going to be alright, sweetheart. Let it out, let it all out," she murmured over and over again. Had Esme not been supporting her, Amelia would have collapsed. The distraught teenager kept sobbing, weakly crying out "let me go," over and over again. In her heart, Esme knew that Amelia wasn't referring to the fact that Esme was holding her, that she wanted her mother to let her go literally speaking. Amelia was screaming at Death, whose omnipresent presence lurked just around the corner, and was begging him to set her free.


	46. Chapter 46

"Amelia, it's ok sweetheart. Amelia? Amelia!" Carlisle's voice was growing more and more frantic. Amelia was struggling to breathe again. Esme had let her go, and now Carlisle knelt on the floor next to Amelia, attempting to figure out what was wrong.

"Carlisle, what's happening?"

"I'm not sure, Esme. Emmett?" he called. Amelia started yelling again, thrashing violently. Carlisle grasped her wrists, determined that his daughter would not hurt herself any more than she already had. Emmett poked his head around the door.

"Yes Dad?"

"Please help me carry Amelia back to ICU. I need to get hold of Richard."

Emmett picked his sister up off the floor, and held her wrists in his grip. "It's okay, little squirt," he soothed, "Emmy bear's here. I've got you, I've got you."

Amelia seemed to calm a little, before starting up again. Emmett walked briskly out of the bathroom and followed Carlisle down the many corridors that led back to the ICU, Esme alongside him, all the while listening to his little sister beg for her death. It chilled him to the very core.

They arrived at the ICU after what seemed like an eternity - in reality it was less than a five minutes.

"You can put her down now, son," said Carlisle.

"Not like this," said Emmett, glancing at his little sister who was desperately trying to get out of his grasp, "she will hurt herself."

Dr Westsmythe and Alair walked into the room, armed with a kidney dish. A sedative, still in its ampoule, clinked against an empty ampoule of the same sedative. A syringe, full of a clear liquid, was also in the dish. Carlisle held Amelia's arm still and Dr Westsmythe emptied the entire contents of the syringe into Amelia's arm, before placing his thumb over the area and rubbing it slightly. Carlisle let go of her arm and Amelia's violent movements started weakening. Her crying quietened down. Her eyes rolled back and she fell still and silent, unresponsive.

"Now I will put her down," stated Emmett, moving to the bed and gently laying his sister down, before taking Esme by the hand and leading her out of the room so that they weren't in anybody's way.

Alair removed the dressing gown and slippers, neatly depositing them on the chair next to the bed. Carlisle briefly disconnected the IV line in her right hand, before slipping Amelia's pyjama top off and placing her hospital gown back on. Carlisle then placed an oxygen mask on Amelia's face. Alair lifted her head up gently and he pulled the elastic band over her head. He then reattached the IV line while Alair got Amelia's socks and pyjama pants off. She placed the items of clothing on the edge of the bed. Carlisle held Amelia's gown up while Alair reattached the electrodes that monitored Amelia's cardiac activity, and a few moments later, the electronic beeping sound of the cardiac monitor filled the silence. Dr Westsmythe injected the contents of the second vial into Amelia's IV line. They worked quickly and efficiently, a team. Carlisle came outside when they were done, carrying Amelia's pyjamas.

"Thank you, Emmett," said Carlisle.

"I have to go now, don't I?" he asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so, son," said Dr Westsmythe, coming out as well, "ICU rules."

"We'll see you later, Emmett," said Esme.

"Hang in there Mom," he whispered in her ear as he bent down to hug his mother. Esme nodded. Carlisle handed him Amelia's clothing. He knew that Esme would want to clean it later.

"Bye squirt," he whispered, touching his hand to the glass window, before leaving the ICU, doors sliding shut with a mechanical click in his wake. They could hear Emmett telling the others what had happened. The rest of the family had packed up and Kate and Tanya had taken Renesmee home, while Jasper and Bella went to hunt, Amelia's panicking had stretched them to their limits. Everyone else was standing outside the ICU, trying to listen in on the conversation.

Carmen was beside herself, worried that she had done something to upset Amelia. She thought she was helping Amelia by getting her out of the cafeteria when she was getting upset, but now she was not sure. Eleazar was trying to calm her down. Edward and Alice, and now Emmett as well, were trying to convince the others that they needed to go home, and eventually the corridor cleared as the vampires left. The trio filed back into the room, and Alair left to give them some privacy, going to stand at the nurse's station at the centre of the ICU, subtly listening in as well.

"What happened, Richard?" asked Esme, turning her attention to Amelia. She knew that the two of them were trying to figure out what had triggered Amelia's apparent break-down.

"I honestly do not know, Esme," he replied sombrely, glancing at the now-unconscious teenager lying in front of him. As a precaution, he and Carlisle had loosely tied Amelia's hands to the railings. They didn't want her to injure herself further in case she woke up thrashing again.

"She threw up, then burst into tears when I suggested going back to her room and getting some rest," stated Esme, grimly recalling Amelia's sudden and unexpected change from her usual happy, cheerful self to an uncertain teenager to an outright hysterical one.

"I suspect she got overwhelmed by everything that happened," said Carlisle, coming to stand behind his wife, placing his hands on the top of her arms and rubbing his hands up and down, a gesture of comfort. He felt Esme relax just a little. The joy of this morning, of Amelia's great mood and happy demeanour, was long gone.

"I'm going to run some blood tests in the meantime," said Dr Westsmythe, "I'm worried that maybe it's a reaction to one of her medications."

"A reaction?" Esme's voice was quiet.

"Or a side effect," said Carlisle, catching on to what Dr Westsmythe was trying to say, "we have had to give her a completely new regime in order to clear up the infection. Some of the medication is very strong and carries heavy warnings regarding side effects."

"Precisely. It could be a form of ICU psychosis as well."

"What's that?" queried Esme, not liking the sound of the potential diagnosis. It sounded all wrong, a term that didn't match her cheerful teenager.

"It's a kind of delirium that happens in patients who are in ICU for a while after some kind of incident, be it trauma, illness and so forth. It's a kind of acute brain failure-"

"Brain failure?!"

"Relax, my love, just breathe," encouraged Carlisle, kissing her cheek, "basically, the lack of windows, constant disruption of sleep, sensory deprivation and no concept of time starts to adversely affect patients who have been in ICU for long periods of time."

"But it's only been a few days," said Esme, worried.

"She's had this reaction before," said Dr Westsmythe, "it's in her file."

"But she had it just after spending a little while in the cafeteria?" Esme was still confused.

"ICU is a very bright place. Sleep is hard to come by. She is exhausted, the short naps she has been taking isn't enough for her. Her walk to the cafeteria was still windowless and too bright. She's also critically ill, has a bad infection and is in constant pain. Her new medication is not helping either. It's these little things that all add up and have caused this reaction. She's been in ICU many times before, and she's probably fed up of being back here. Isolation didn't help either," explained Dr Westsmythe patiently.

"She seemed so cheerful earlier on," said Esme, sadly.

"Esme, why don't we go home and let Dr Westsmythe take some blood samples? That way, we can figure out sooner if any of the medication is the cause of her condition. I can answer any other questions we have. It's getting late, and the kids will be worried."

Esme nodded, and kissed her daughter's forehead before allowing Carlisle to lead her out of the ICU, and home.

* * *

"Oh Esme," gasped Carmen, running towards her friend and giving her a hug, before leading her to the dining room table where the others were assembled. Blythe had arrived home as school had ended a few hours previously and Rosalie had updated her on Amelia's condition.

"Alice and Edward have updated us on what happened, but we have some questions," stated Emmett, his face full of concern for his little sister.

"Her mental symptoms are textbook," began Carlisle, "she was delusional, disorientated and pretty anxious. She was rather agitated and aggressive as well."

"Other symptoms include paranoia, hallucinations, hearing voices and nightmares," continued Blythe, smiling at Carlisle, "I did some research into this condition."

"But she was fine one minute, then so upset the next," broke in Carmen, recalling the hysteria that had held Amelia in its grip.

"It has a very rapid onset of symptoms," explained Blythe, "some of them would have been subtle and you'd not have noticed them immediately. We know it's not a stroke that caused her symptoms. The next thing to check is blood sugar levels, which I believe were normal. We know Amelia is very sick, and it's basically a combination of things that lead to this."

"Dr Westsmythe is running some blood tests to check if she is reacting to the medication, and also checking the levels of the drugs in her blood. If that is the case, then either we lower the dose or change the drug completely."

"She needs some uninterrupted sleep, so she is sedated at the moment. It has been known to occur in patients in heart failure, and Amelia is one such patient, so they will monitor her closely. Carlisle, have you given her any anti-psychotic medication?"

"Haloperidol."

"Ok. So Amelia's been given some medication to help alleviate the symptoms as well. Interestingly, the agitation is worse at night. Carlisle, I think the sooner she gets out of ICU the better it will be for everyone."

"How long until she gets better?" asked Rosalie.

"Anything from 24 hours to two weeks," said Carlisle quietly.

"What?!" exclaimed the others. Carlisle nodded sombrely.

"She kept saying 'let me go' over and over again," whispered Esme, burying her face in her hands, "what if she wants to die? What if it wasn't psychosis? What if she really does not want to live? It was like she was begging for it all to end."

"Maybe you're overthinking this a bit, Esme," broke in Garret, speaking for the first time that evening. Edward and Alice exchanged glances, both deciding that what Esme didn't know could not possibly hurt her. Blythe caught their exchange and frowned slightly at them. Edward shook his head very slightly. She mentally sent him a thumbs up in agreement.

"On an unrelated note, Eleazar, why did you keep staring at Amelia?" questioned Kate.

"Ah, you noticed that, did you?" he queried with a wry chuckle, also breaking his silence for the first time that evening.

"We all did," stated Tanya. The others nodded in agreement.

"As you all know, my gift is to pick up on someone else's gifts," he started.

"We all know that," stated Jasper, using his gift to make Eleazar stop beating around the bush and tell them what was happening.

"Does Amelia have a gift?" asked Alice eagerly, "I haven't been able to see that far ahead."

"I have never encountered a human with as much power as Amelia possesses. When she becomes immortal, she is going to be exceptional."

"My little squirt has a bad-ass power? Nice!" exclaimed Emmett, already thinking of ways to get Amelia involved in his pranks, "maybe he has invisibility powers. Or can shoot lasers from her eyes. Or fly."

"Emmett, she's not a superhero," stated Edward, shooting his brother a look of annoyance.

"Hulk smash," he replied innocently. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"What about the Volturi?" asked Alice, concerned.

"Alice, please stop blaming yourself for Amelia's episode, for lack of a better term. You had nothing to do with it, you know that," Edward gently chastened her.

"Alice, you definitely had nothing to do with it," reassured Blythe.

"It would have happened anyway," confirmed Carlisle, "and I don't know about the Volturi. They have been leaving us alone, but at some point, we are going to have to tell them about Amelia."

"If Aro finds out about her, he will definitely want her for the guard," said Eleazar.

"Then we fight," said Esme fiercely, "no one is taking my baby girl away from me!"

"I think we should spare Amelia the knowledge of her power," said Jasper, "we don't need to further upset her. It will be a lot for her to take in."

"I agree," said Carlisle. Esme nodded in agreement, "we will tell her when she's ready. Eleazar, would you be willing to help us when that time comes?"

"Yes, Carlisle, I will help you."

"We all will," reassured Carmen. Kate and Tanya smiled in assent.

"Can you tell us what her power is, or do you just know that she is going to be powerful?" asked Esme, already concerned for Amelia's introduction to immortality. Eleazar hesitated for a second.

"Eleazar, I can read minds and Alice can predict the future. Nothing is private here. Even if you tell Carlisle and Esme in private, half of the family will know anyway," stated Edward.

"I agree with Edward," stated Esme, "everyone needs to be prepared. I do however think we should not tell Nessie, she doesn't need to know just yet. That's too big a secret for her to keep for such a long time."

"I agree," said Bella, "Renesmee is too small."

"My lips are sealed," said Emmett, miming the action of zipping his lips and throwing away the key, "though I can't wait for Amelia to become one of us!"

"All in favour of not telling Amelia and Renesmee?" asked Carlisle. 14 hands were raised in the air, a unanimous vote.

"Well then, where shall we begin?" asked Eleazar, breaking into a big smile.


	47. Chapter 47

**AN -**

 **Many thanks to everyone who has favourited or followed A New Cullen Sister, and who has reviewed or directly messaged me. I appreciate the feedback! I checked the stats recently, and I am completely blown away by how many people have read Amelia's story. Thank you all so much, I do hope that you are enjoying the story! Feel free to message me at any point, I welcome constructive criticism :)**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

"I think we all could do with a hunting trip," suggested Garret. The Cullens and the Denalis were trying to grasp the enormity of Amelia's gift. Eleazar wasn't joking, Aro would do anything to get his hands on Amelia and make her a part of the guard, no matter the cost.

She was an asset, powerful beyond her wildest dreams. Her gift made the Olympic Coven even more powerful, and that in itself was a potentially volatile situation. There was no way they could go unnoticed, with five gifted vampires already in their large coven of nine, soon to be ten. Amelia would make number six, a fact that worried Carlisle and Eleazar more than they were letting on.

"I agree," stated Carlisle. There was a flurry of activity as everyone hastened to prepare themselves for hunting.

"I will stay behind," said Bella, "Renesmee will be back soon. Go and hunt, Edward, you need it. I'll take Nessie home."

"Ok, Bella. I will see you later."

"Esme and I will hunt nearby in case we are needed at the hospital," said Carlisle.

"Eleazar and I will join you," said Carmen.

"Call us if you need us," said Rosalie.

The Cullens and Denalis left, everyone splitting up their separate ways. Edward and Bella walked to their house, before separating as well. Alair met up with them, wanting to hunt as well. Her shift had ended, and Amelia was sleeping peacefully when Alair had left her.

No one thought to remain at the house. An hour into the hunting trip, the phone rang once, twice, a third time. The answering machine kicked in and recorded the various messages, which steadily got more and more frantic. In the Mercedes, a cell phone lit up with an incoming call. It was Carlisle's cell phone. A second cell phone rang from a handbag on the third floor – Esme's. Both of them had forgotten their cell phones.

* * *

An alarm sounded at the nurse's station at the ICU. The night staff glanced up, realising that something was wrong with one of their patients. They only had two, one of whom was chatting to one of their colleagues while she gave him a bath. That meant it could only be the teenage girl who had been brought in three days ago, Dr Cullen's sick daughter, and who had been released from isolation to the general ICU ward. They ran towards the room, to find the teenager having a suspected grand mal seizure. They immediately went into emergency mode, trying desperately to stop the seizure.

After a hefty dose of medication, the seizing stopped. They relaxed a little, but were worried about Amelia's heart, which was not coping with the stress of the seizure. They called Dr Westsmythe, who promised that he would be on his way in the next few minutes. They then tried Dr Cullen, no response. They tried a second time, a third time, each time leaving a message for him. They tried his cell phone, no reply. They tried Mrs Cullen's cell phone, again no reply.

"She's seizing again!" called one of the nurses. Back they went to Amelia's room, desperately trying to stop it. By the time Dr Westsmythe arrived, Amelia had had a third seizure.

"She's in status epilepticus," stated Ellie, Amelia's night nurse.

"We've given her 10mg diazepam intravenously, but nothing has worked so far," stated another, Hayley.

"Labs are in!" called Rebekah, running into the room. She thrust them into Dr Westsmythe's hands, hoping that they held some answers.

"Damn it, there is nothing useful in here!" exclaimed Dr Westsmythe as he scanned through the results, frustrated beyond measure.

"Do you think that she had a surge?" asked Ellie, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. Dr Westsmythe looked at her in horror. A surge was that last good day that a dying patient experienced before they passed away. They felt well again, patients often reported that if it weren't for the obvious signs, they'd never have thought that they were ill to begin with. In some ways, Dr Westsmythe felt that this last surge of energy that they got was their way of saying goodbye, and giving their family one final, happy memory to hold on to before the inevitable struck.

Amelia's heart stuttered, before going into ventricular fibrillation. Alarms sounded everywhere.

"Get a defibrillator!"

"Get me an ET tube, we need to intubate her!"

"Start chest compressions!"

Commands were fired rapidly, tension mounting in the room as the team struggled to save the teenager. It was no longer a case of a failing body, Amelia's body had outright failed. After they intubated her, they shocked her, and managed to get her heart rhythm normal again. They relaxed briefly, and once they were confident that she was okay, they stepped out the room and continued trying to get hold of Carlisle and Esme.

A few minutes passed, before another frantic alarm sounded. This time, Amelia's heart had stopped beating.

"Get me an Ambu-bag!"

"Starting chest compressions!"

"Where the hell did the defibrillator go?"

"Here it is!"

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

"Resuming chest compressions!"

"Come on Amelia, dammit, do not die on me!"

"Still no reply from the Cullens."

"Keep phoning them!"

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

Amelia's body jerked off the bed, before falling slack again. Still her heart refused to beat. The staff frantically tried to resuscitate her.

"Charge again!"

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

"Is that a stable rhythm?"

"Shut up and don't jinx it."

"Come on Amelia, come on!"

"Oh thank God."

"Dr Cullen is on his way."

"Finally!"

No one dared move from the room. Reality dawned on them.

"This is it, isn't it?" asked Ellie.

"Yes it is. It's taking more and more to bring her back everytime," stated Dr Westsmythe quietly, eyes glued to the heart monitor in front of him. He hadn't relaxed his grip on the defibrillator, waiting for Amelia to crash again. It was going to happen, and he was going to make sure that she was still alive when her parents arrived. Not five minutes later, it happened again.

"She's crashing!"

"Start chest compressions!"

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

"Resuming compressions."

"Dr Cullen is here."

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

"Resuming compressions!"

"Richard, what happened?"

"Grand mal, followed by status epilepticus after two subsequent seizures. She went into V-fib, she's coded twice since. It's taking more and more to bring her back, Carlisle."

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear! Amelia, you get your heart started again, dammit! Where the hell were you, Carlisle? We left messages! We couldn't get hold of you or Esme!"

"We didn't hear the phone go off, and I left my cell phone in my car. Esme's was upstairs, we didn't hear it either."

"Charging!"

"Everybody clear!"

"Sinus rhythm!"

"Hold compressions!"

* * *

"Carlisle, she's not going to make the night." Richard's voice was resigned. The pair stood outside Amelia's room, watching her. It had just gone midnight, and even Carlisle was exhausted, mentally. Amelia's vitals were weak, her heart barely managing to beat. This was it. Carlisle knew then that Amelia was going to die, and that there was no way that he could save her. She was too far gone. Even if he somehow managed to get Amelia out while her heart still beat, he couldn't save her. Once again, a ventilator was breathing for her.

"I have my doubts that she is going to make it through the next hour, Richard."

"This morning was a surge."

"Of course," Carlisle cursed himself, "why didn't I pick that up sooner? She knew this was going to happen, didn't she? She was saying goodbye to all of us."

"I believe she was, Carlisle. How do you want to proceed?"

"Her chances are not good," he stated. He walked into Amelia's room to sit with Esme.

"I'm not giving up on her, Carlisle!" Esme's voice was fierce yet determined.

"Esme."

"No Carlisle, I'm not letting her go."

"She's too far gone. Give her the peace she desperately craves."

"She didn't say goodbye!" Esme cried, stricken that her nightmare was coming to life.

"She did. She had a surge, a last burst of energy of sorts. She said her goodbyes today in the cafeteria, none of us realised it."

"She didn't even open her presents."

"Let this be your gift to her. Let her go, Esme, let her be free."

"She changed her mind, Esme," stated Alice softly, "she didn't want to hurt you."

"I knew, Alice. A mother always knows," whispered Esme. She turned to glance at Alice, offering her a weak smile. Dr Westsmythe had let them in to say their farewells to Amelia. Jasper stood next to Alice, face downcast. Emmett leaned against the wall, holding Rosalie close to him, who rested her head on his shoulder, eyes bright with unshed tears. Bella and Edward stood closest to the door, hands tightly clasped and jaws clenched with emotion. Renesmee had been taken to the main house and was fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the tragedy unfolding. Carmen, Eleazar, Garret, Tanya and Kate were watching her. Blythe and Alair remained at the Cullen house as well. They had phoned Samantha, who, on a rare night off, had left New York immediately.

"This is our gift to Amelia," said Rosalie, "setting her free."

"She got her final wish," said Edward with a sad smile. He locked eyes with Esme, "She loved someone, a family, and was loved in return."

"Very much so," said Carlisle, his eyes filling up with venom, "it's time to say our goodbyes."

Emmett was up first. His usual happy demeanour was gone. He felt broken. Gone was his little squirt, his little partner-in-crime. "Goodbye little squirt. I'm gonna miss you. Hulk smash," was all he managed, before he kissed his little sister's forehead. Rosalie followed, blinking away the venomous tears that clouded her vision.

"Bye, Miabug. I miss you already. Rest easy," she choked out, before resting her forehead against Amelia's. The others followed, each with their own farewell. Carlisle went second last.

"Amelia, you have brought such joy to our lives. I cannot thank you enough. We love you, sweetheart," he spoke quietly, before taking Amelia's left hand in his and squeezing it.

"My sweet baby girl, I love you, and will do so until my last breath. You were everything I could ever have wanted in a daughter, and so much more. The world is going to be a dark place without you, Amelia. Rest in peace, my precious child," Esme broke down, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek and holding her right hand in her grasp. She squeezed it gently, and felt the lightest of pressures respond.

"She wants you all to know that she loves you very much, and will be forever grateful that you gave her the best last few months she could have hoped for," whispered Edward.

"She's here?" Esme's eyes were filled with hope.

"Barely. I can scarcely hear her. She won't leave until she knows she can."

Esme nodded sadly. "Thank you, Amelia, for the best few months of my existence," she murmured, pressing a kiss to Amelia's hand.

"You can let go now, Amelia," said Carlisle. Amelia's heart beat slowed down further, until eventually, with a final, sickening 'thump', her heart fell silent and beat no more.


	48. Chapter 48

**AN**

 **I am not a religious person, so I do hope that my attempt at a memorial service is adequate. I also hope that I have not offended anyone with Amelia's agnostic views on religion, and my sincerest apologies if I have - it is truly not my intention. Please do not hesitate to send me a message if you are offended, I would love to discuss it with you. Education is the best way to sort out ignorance.**

 **Thank you to everyone who had reviewed and followed or favourited, it means a lot to me. I do reply to reviews, however I observe that I cannot respond to a guest review. To those to whom this is applicable, many thanks for the review, your comments are noted and appreciated. I obtained a sharps injury today at university (the darn needle cap fell off while I was trying to screw the needle onto the syringe and I dropped the syringe onto my dominant hand index finger - yay for old equipment, cheap supplies on tender and the waiting room of patients that greeted us this morning). Fortunately it was a clean needle, so no ARVs for me! They were once used for cancer chemotherapy, so they have the same side-effects as the current ones. I'm still trying to recover from the previous cycle, which was two years ago. My finger is darn sore though. Does anyone work or study in health care? Drop me a line :)**

* * *

Amelia's memorial dawned on a miserable, rainy day. Esme stared outside the window, watching the rain fall. It matched her mood perfectly, everyone's mood really. Four days had passed since Amelia had died, four days of misery, of hell. Amelia's death left a huge void in the family. She'd been with them for little more than a month, but their lives would never be the same. Everyone spoke in hushed tones, generally avoiding any mention of the deceased. Amelia's unopened birthday presents had been placed in her closet, Alice hadn't known what else to do with them.

"I thought I might find you here," said Carmen, coming into Amelia's bedroom and snapping Esme out of her reverie.

"It still smells like Amelia in here," said Esme wistfully.

"I know it does," replied Carmen, coming to give her friend a hug. They stood in silence for a little while. Rosalie knocked at the door.

"We're going to be late," she whispered. Esme and Carmen walked out of the room. Everyone was assembled downstairs. Amelia's favourite colour was purple, and it was also the colour that was representative of Cystic Fibrosis, so everyone was wearing it in some way or another in her honour. Carlisle, Emmett, Edward and Jasper wore purple ties, Garret and Eleazar each wore a dark purple shirt beneath their jackets. Alice and Blythe were dressed in lilac knee-length dresses, whilst Rosalie, Esme and Carmen settled for a darker purple to match their husbands. Bella dressed in formal pants and a lavender jersey, and Renesmee wore a black dress with a purple hat and belt. Kate and Tanya were dressed in floor-length plum-coloured dresses.

Wordlessly, they left the house and climbed into their vehicles. Carlisle and Esme climbed into the Mercedes, with Carmen and Eleazar slipping into the backseat. Rosalie and Emmett drove behind them in Rosalie's BMW, with Kate and Garret. Alice and Jasper drove next, with Tanya and Blythe seated in the back. Edward brought up the rear, with Bella and Renesmee. For the first time in a very long time, they drove slowly, a funeral procession.

They arrived at the hall, where the memorial was to the held. The rain refused to let up, and a crowd of attendees rushed forwards with umbrellas to shelter the grieving family from the relentless rain that was falling. Inside the auditorium, rows upon rows of chairs had been set up, some of which were already occupied. Esme caught sight of Alair and Samantha deep in conversation. A few other staff members from Forks Hospital had come to pay their respects. They didn't know Amelia personally, rather coming out of support to Carlisle. Richard and Caroline Westsmythe stood to the side, chatting to Joanne Anderson, who had flown out from New York as well.

A strong, canine aroma filled the hall. Esme turned, and saw the entire pack, with imprints and elders accompanying them, enter the hall. Billy rolled over to pay his respects, with Sue hot on his heels, one elder to another. Seth and Leah were devastated, they had grown close to Amelia. Charlie arrived not long after, pausing to bow his head in respect to the grieving parents, before making his way to where Bella and Jacob stood.

Mixed in the throng, were a handful of Amelia's classmates. Daniella, Narcisse and Amy stood huddled together. Ms Monteverdi had asked if the choir and orchestra could perform at the memorial, many students had requested it because of how important the orchestra was to their beloved friend, and she stood at the front, ironing out a few last minute glitches. A few of Amelia's teachers had come as well, eager to pay their respects to one of their hardest-working students. At the sound of the oboe playing the 'A' note, the rest of the orchestra members hurried to their seats and the choir members hastened to sit on the stalls. Those in attendance, dressed in varying shades of purple as per the Cullens' request, slowly made their way to their seats. Carlisle and Esme sat hand in hand. Never had Esme thought that she would be attending her own daughter's funeral, and yet here she was. The thought made her sick.

"Good morning everyone, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to pay your respects to our dearly beloved daughter, and sister, Amelia Grace Theodore-Cullen," began Edward, "over the course of the past couple of months, our family was incredibly blessed to have met the angel that is Amelia, as were many of you standing before me. We all knew she was sick, but we hoped, our family in particular, that we might have more time together, but sadly, it was not to be. Amelia always believed that a funeral should not be a mourning of the life that was lost, but rather a celebration of the life that was lived. Thank you all for coming today and joining us in this 'celebration'."

The orchestra played Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a piece of music that Amelia had always enjoyed listening to. Dr Anderson spoke of Amelia fondly, sharing a few of her memories with her long-term patient. Daniella, Narcisse, Amy and Blythe spoke next, detailing funny moments they had enjoyed with their friend and verbalising how much they missed her.

Emmett and Jasper had put together a slide show of what few pictures they had of Amelia's childhood, bulking it up with more recent photos, some of which Esme didn't know existed. They tried to keep it upbeat. One of Esme's favourites was a group shot that Alair had taken for them. It was the only family photograph that they had. Another of Esme's favourites, taken in the cafeteria on Amelia's birthday, was of the two of them together. Esme had pulled Amelia into her lap and the pair were listening to someone, presumably Kate, tell their story. Amelia was enthralled, a small smile playing on her lips and her eyes shining, and Esme was glancing down at her daughter, smiling at the joy so evident on her face.

There was also a beautiful one that Alice had taken of Amelia while she was busy playing her violin. Amelia probably wasn't even aware that her sister was photographing her, she would get so lost in her music. Her right hand supported the fingerboard, fingers splayed over the strings. Her bow rested on the strings, mid-note. Her eyes were open, but held that sense of detachment of someone who was looking, but not seeing. This was the one that was on the memorial programme, and the same one that adorned a large board at the front of the auditorium. Beneath the photograph on the programme, was a short text.

 _Amelia Grace Theodore-Cullen_

 _29 February 1992 – 1 March 2008_

 _Our fighter, our angel._

Carlisle couldn't speak for long when it was his turn to give a speech, unable to keep his emotions at bay over the loss of his youngest daughter. He should have been there. If only he had remembered to take his cell phone with him, then Amelia might still be with them. Everyone in the family was blaming themselves for something – Bella and Edward, for not staying at the main house; Jasper, for needing to hunt so soon after being at the hospital; Rosalie and Emmett, for not insisting that their numbers be added to the emergency contact list; Alice, for not foreseeing it; Esme and Carlisle, for not staying longer and being nearer to Amelia when it happened, and for forgetting their cell phones when they needed them the most.

Rosalie stood up to read a poem that Amelia had enjoyed. Poetry analysis was not her strong suit in English literature, but every once in a while, she read a poem that stuck with her. In a clear, albeit trembling voice, she spoke, "Amelia was a great lover of poetry, although she really disliked having to analyse them. She'd often moan that sometimes, the poet just wrote down what they felt like, or because it rhymed. She believed that, and I apologise Mr Mason, that poetry analysis overcomplicated a poem, and that detracted from being able to appreciate it properly," there was a shout of laughter at that, "The poem she enjoyed most was by Mary Elizabeth Frye, entitled 'Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep'."

Rosalie took an unneeded breath, and from memory, recited the poem that her little sister had copied into her diary.

" _Do not stand at my grave and weep._

 _I am not there; I do not sleep._

 _I am a thousand winds that blow._

 _I am the diamond glints on snow._

 _I am the sunlight on ripened grain._

 _I am the gentle autumn rain._

 _When you awaken in the morning's hush_

 _I am the swift uplifting rush_

 _Of quiet birds in circled flight._

 _I am the soft stars that shine at night._

 _Do not stand at my grave and cry;_

 _I am not there; I did not die_."

Not a dry eye remained in the auditorium after Rosalie had finished speaking. Esme cried softly into Carlisle's chest as he barely managed to keep a grip on his own emotions. The orchestra and choir went through their last item for Amelia, the _Sanctus_ movement from Faure's Requiem. Amelia loved choral masterpieces, Handel's _The Messiah_ and Brahm's _Ein Deutsches Requiem_ were among her favourites. The first time she had heard Faure's Requiem, she had fallen in love with the third movement, the _Sanctus_ , and after acquiring it on CD courtesy of Alice and Edward, she played it regularly, even downloading the sheet music so that she could learn how to play it on her violin. Amelia had dragged her mother up the stairs and made her sit on her bed so that she could play for her, even although Esme could hear it perfectly from anywhere within a mile of the house.

* * *

The memorial ended. It had been a beautiful service. As per Amelia's wishes, there had been no prayers or readings from any holy book. Amelia and Carlisle had softly argued this point before; Carlisle, ever the son of an Anglican priest, has struggled to understand Amelia's religious views, or rather lack thereof. Amelia had simply smiled at him, and explained that religion was not the all-defining factor. One didn't need religion to be a good person. Religion divided people, rather than united them. Carlisle had wanted to argue the point further, and Amelia had allowed him to. Amelia was not religious by any means, but held a deep respect for others' religious beliefs and never took a fact standing down – she researched copiously before passing judgement. In her opinion, too much harm had been done to others due to ignorance of a religion's core beliefs and practices. Like Amelia, Carlisle respected others' beliefs, but listening to his daughter, he had realised the truth in her words, and if it was even possible to love her any more than he already did, he loved her all the more for it.

Hands were shook and hugs were given as Amelia's friends, and friends to the Cullens paid their respects and offered condolences to the grieving family. Esme sat to the side, away from the others. Blythe came to sit next to her, opening her arms and engulfing Esme in a hug.

"I wish I could take away this pain from everyone," she murmured.

"Me too," said Esme.

"She loved you very much, Esme. She loved all of you deeply. You gave her family when she had no one; you loved her when she was convinced she didn't deserve it. She is at peace now, and when she passed, she was surrounded by those who loved her."

"It doesn't bring her back though."

"No it doesn't, but it will help ease the pain. She's with Bree now, and her biological parents, they will take care of her. She's no longer suffering, and gone is her pain. Alice says that we need to leave now if we are to make it in time to scatter Amelia's ashes."

* * *

An hour later, the Cullens found themselves at the edge of a cliff, close to where the newborn army battle had taken place nearly 3 years previously. Alice had once had a vision of taking Amelia here so that she could say goodbye to Bree, and Amelia wandering off and standing at the edge of this cliff. To the right, a large river flowed and created a beautiful waterfall that fell many feet down. From this cliff, the Olympic peninsula was at its most beautiful. Alice saw that Amelia would love this place, and it was here that she had decided to scatter Amelia's ashes. Esme had to admit, it was perfect. She clung a little tighter to the urn that held her daughter's ashes. Emmett had suggested that they keep Amelia's ashes and take her with them wherever they went. Esme had refused, saying that they needed to let Amelia be free, and that by hanging onto her ashes, they were keeping her from that.

They heard multiple footfalls approaching and the tell-tale scent of the shapeshifter pack hit their nostrils. One by one, the massive wolves emerged from the trees. Two of the smaller wolves came to stand next to Esme, protectively shielding her. They both nuzzled her neck and whined sadly. She reached out her free hand and patted them both, seeing the emotion in their eyes. Seth and Leah had grown close to Amelia, and they missed her dreadfully.

Sam and Jacob came to stand with Carlisle, both bowing their heads in respect. Carlisle nodded. Sam sat down, while Jacob went to stand with Bella and Renesmee. The rest of the pack stood to the side. The silence was peaceful.

"Five minutes, guys," said Alice. The wolves backed away, retreating to the trees. They shifted back into their human form and emerged from the trees once more, fully clothed. The sun suddenly peeked out from behind the clouds, and the vampires began to sparkle as the sunlight hit their skin.

"It's time."

Esme and Carlisle opened up the urn. "Be free, Amelia," everyone whispered before Carlisle and Esme tipped the urn. A gust of wind blew up and carried her ashes with it. The clouds that had partially blocked the sun moved out of the way, and a large rainbow formed over the horizon. A sense of peace stole through Esme's veins. Amelia might be gone, but her memory lived on.

* * *

"No!" shrieked Alice, suddenly coming back into the present and bursting into tears, "Carlisle, do not go hunting!"

"Why ever not, Alice?" asked Carlisle in alarm, immediately alert.

"The hospital tries to get hold of you. No one is at home, both you and Esme have forgotten your cell phones and Amelia takes a turn for the worst. Carlisle, she had a surge today. She's going to die in the next few hours. Take Blythe and Esme, and get to the hospital, now!"


	49. Chapter 49

**AN-**

 **I will only be uploading one chapter today. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released to day, and my inner Potterhead is doing cartwheels with excitement. Sorry guys, but priorities... Has anyone else gotten it yet? Many thanks to everyone who took the time to PM or review, you are all awesome! My finger is better, thanks. It has not fallen off, so I am sure that is a good sign (I'm joking, but I was convinced that I was dying for about half an hour afterwards).**

* * *

Carlisle, Esme and Blythe raced to the hospital. They arrived just as Amelia had her first seizure, a suspected grand mal. It pained Esme to witness her daughter undergo that total loss of bodily control. She was grateful that Amelia was still sedated from her incident in the bathroom earlier that day, at least she was unaware of what was happening to her. The ICU staff, together with Carlisle and Blythe, quickly brought the situation under control. They were surprisingly relaxed about a teenager helping them and quickly realised that she had more knowledge than they could ever dream of.

"I am worried about her heart," stated Ellie, after the others had left, "It's taken a bit of a beating."

"I am concerned as well, but I think it should hold up," replied Carlisle, frowning slightly. If Alice's vision held out, they only had minutes before the second seizure struck. He wondered how to get Ellie out of the room. Fortunately for him, Alair strode into the ICU and walked in with a big smile.

"Ellie, dear, I think I forgot to add something to the paperwork on Amelia's file. Walk with me?" The pair left the room, with Alair glancing back and winking at Carlisle. Alice had probably foreseen this complication and contacted Alair to act as a ruse.

"Esme, can you stand guard please?" asked Blythe, "when my gift works, my hands tend to glow and so does the part of the body where my hand touches."

"Not a problem, Blythe," said Esme, leaving the room and leaning against the glass wall casually. To any of the nurses, she appeared to be a mother distraught with her daughter's failing health and who just needed a minute to process it all.

"Blythe, are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to," stated Carlisle, feeling rather like he was abusing Blythe's gift.

"I would have found my way into this unit just like I did last time, without your help, Carlisle. I know this goes against Amelia's wishes, but not a snowball's chance in hell am I letting my best friend die tonight," Blythe replied firmly, eyes flashing as she recalled Alice's words, the look of pure horror on Edward's face as he read Alice's mind and saw what she had seen. Carlisle nodded, a look of determination crossing his features. No way was he losing his daughter tonight either, even if it meant somehow sneaking her out of the hospital and changing her.

Blythe stood still for a few seconds, listening to Amelia's body. She was more attuned to the human body than most, perhaps even Carlisle. This was largely due to her gift as an incredibly powerful healer. Admittedly, her vast medical knowledge certainly helped as well. The human body spoke to her, for lack of a better term. She could pinpoint the exact problem with a patient faster than even Carlisle could, allowing her gift to guide her as she did.

"It wasn't an epileptic seizure. It was non-epileptic. It's her heart - the seizure was caused by a cardiac arrhythmia. Get her onto the appropriate medication as soon as possible," Blythe's voice was low and urgent. She could hear Amelia's heart skipping a beat, a second, a third. It corrected itself, but Blythe knew that she had less than a minute before a second seizure gripped Amelia's body.

Blythe shut her eyes, letting her hands guide her to where Amelia's body seemed to pull them. She blocked out the obvious pulmonary call, before settling one hand on her heart, and a second over Amelia's kidneys. She focussed, envisioning that beautiful, four-chambered pump that circulated blood throughout the body, nestled safely in the thoracic cavity.

She could almost see the blood, rich in oxygen, being pushed from the pulmonary vein into the left atrium, before being pushed through the mitral valve and into the left ventricle, before passing through the aortic semilunar valve and into the aorta, where it was pumped to the rest of the body, and returning, in its deoxygenated state, via the vena cavae and entering the right atrium, before passing through the tricuspid valve and entering the right ventricle. From there, the blood entered the pulmonary trunk which travelled to the lungs, getting rid of the carbon dioxide and taking in the oxygen, before repeating the circuit. In Amelia's case, the blood was no way near as rich with oxygen as it should be, and her baseline carbon dioxide levels were rising slowly as the end stages of her disease approached.

Somewhere, Amelia's heart was skipping a beat, several in fact, and disrupting this pattern, which caused the seizure, and would cause the second and third seizures, the ventricular fibrillation and finally the cardiac arrest that Alice had seen. Ventricular fibrillation, when the heart beat in such an uncoordinated manner that it essentially functioned like a bag of worms and depleted the heart muscle's energy sources, could be fatal. Blythe was not about to let that happen.

Her hands began to glow the golden colour that Carlisle had witnessed more than a century ago, Tuesday notwithstanding. Amelia's heart faltered for a split second. Esme snuck a glance at her daughter's room, eager to see Blythe's gift in action. It filled her with such hope, to witness the golden glow that spread from Blythe's hands and almost into Amelia, healing her heart. Amelia's heart faltered again, before stopping. A split second later, it restarted, slowly picking up its rhythm until it beat almost as well as a healthy person's heart. It was a little slower than normal, but that sluggishness would remain because of the poor quality of Amelia's lungs. The glow slowly faded, until just Blythe's fingertips were glowing, before disappearing completely. Blythe opened up her eyes.

"She will be ok now, Carlisle. Esme, it is done. You can come back in," she stated.

"Thank you," breathed Esme, hugging the teenaged healer who once again, had saved her daughter from the Grim Reaper.

"I took the edge off the pneumonia, so to speak, Carlisle. Her next chest x-ray will show a marked improvement, enough to hopefully get her out of here soon. I took care of her kidneys as well, Carlisle. I know the blood work will come back clear, but the results took a while, and their function was starting to weaken again. By the time the results from tomorrow's tests come back, it would have been too late for early intervention."

"Thank you so much, Blythe. How did you know about the kidneys? Their function has improved since Tuesday, you were right to leave them."

"The human body speaks to me in ways that I cannot describe. I think it is because of my gift. I can diagnose accurately, more accurately than just about everyone else," Blythe spoke honestly.

"More accurately than me?" Carlisle teased.

"I picked up that her kidneys were going to flare up. You didn't, _Doctor_ Cullen. Who's the superior clinician now?" she winked playfully.

"Game. Set. Match. Blythe," stated Esme, high-fiving her.

"Hey!" protested Carlisle, feigning upset.

"What was your diagnosis, Carlisle?" queried Esme.

"Grand mal seizure. I would have picked up that it was a non-epileptic seizure during the second seizure, but the obvious signs would have occurred in the seconds before she started seizing. I missed the start of the first one, so my default diagnosis is a grand mal. I didn't even pick up the kidneys."

"Like I said, the body speaks to me. Every time Amelia is hurting, I wish I could go against her wishes and take away her pain. She's such a stubborn person," Blythe's voice was filled with fondness as she spoke, but the hint of sadness at not being able to help her friend like she was capable of did not go unnoticed.

"I could say the same about you," rasped a familiar voice. The trio turned towards the bed. Amelia had woken up. Blythe helped her to sit up and drink some water. Amelia smiled at her thankfully, before settling back into the pillows that Carlisle had replaced beneath her neck. In the midst of her seizure, it had been removed for fear of Amelia smothering herself on it. Blythe and Carlisle observed the teenager, ready to intercept any additional form of psychosis that might develop.

"What happened?" queried Amelia, "I feel so groggy. Surgery, sedative or opioid?"

"Sedative and anti-psychotic," replied Carlisle.

"You gave us quite a scare, Amelia," said Esme, coming to stand next to her daughter and smoothing her hair out of the way.

"What is the last thing you remember, Mia-bug?" asked Blythe.

"I remember Mom giving me a bath and putting me in those pink pooh bear pyjamas. When was that?"

"Early this afternoon."

"What time is it? I can't see outside. Why is it so dark in here? What happened to me?" Amelia was starting to panic, her heart rate starting to race.

"Shhh darling, it's ok. You're ok. It's just gone 8pm. It's night time. Breathe, you're alright," soothed Esme, holding Amelia as close to her as she possibly could.

"Is she stable enough to move yet, do you think?" whispered Carlisle, glancing at Blythe.

"She's fine. Move her. She needs her mom," replied Blythe, moving Amelia's gown off the chair that stood next to her bed and dumping it on the hospital bed, "Mia, let go of your mom for a sec, sweetie. We're going to let you sit in your mom's lap. How does that sound?"

"Carlisle, Amelia needs to get out of here as soon as possible," muttered Alair. She had just walked back into the room, with Ellie behind her. Ellie frowned at the scene before her, but didn't comment.

"She's fine, Ellie. She's just panicking a little because she's disorientated. Being in Esme's arms is a better remedy than any medication we can give her," said Carlisle, helping Esme manoeuvre Amelia off the bed. Esme sat down on the chair with her daughter in her arms in a fluid, graceful motion. Amelia automatically tightened her arms around her mother, and she buried her head in her mother's neck, inhaling that ever so familiar scent that was so uniquely Esme. Slowly, gradually, her heart rate slowed again.

"I agree with you there, Dr Cullen. There's no better place than your mother's arms. I also agree with Alair, Amelia needs to leave the ICU as soon as possible. This environment is not helping her. I have an idea," said Ellie, exiting the room. They could hear her walking to the entrance of the ICU and leaving, her footsteps fading away down the corridor. Carlisle turned his attention back to Amelia, still distressed but a little better.

"Carlisle, doesn't your office have a window perhaps?" asked Blythe. Carlisle nodded, not quite understanding where Blythe was heading towards with her idea but accepting it nevertheless.

"There's a massive glass window that overlooks the park for the kiddies," said Alair helpfully, understanding what Blythe was trying to do.

"How far is it?" asked Blythe, unfamiliar with the hospital.

"Down a flight of stairs and through the consulting rooms. It's close to Carlisle's office, actually."

"Let's go."

* * *

"Mom, why did I get sedated yesterday?" asked Amelia, looking up from where she was eating her breakfast. She had had a peaceful night. Blythe's brainwave of taking her to a window so that she could see the skyline had helped, and she had calmed down considerably. She crinkled her nose, it didn't smell the best, but she was plodding along anyway.

"That food smells revolting," commented Esme. She was also sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Amelia.

"It tastes worse, I kid you not."

"Scones?" offered Esme, leaning down to pick up her handbag and yanking the tupperware containers out of it for the second time in as many days. Amelia grinned and pushed her hospital breakfast to the side.

"Thanks Mom, you're the best!"

"You're welcome, Amelia," smiled Esme, observing her daughter tear into the scones as if she had not eaten in centuries. Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe were in Carlisle's office, discussing Amelia's case once again. Blythe had left shortly before midnight with Alair. She had made arrangements with Daniella, Narcisse and Amy to go to Port Angeles. In spite of her wanting to stay with the rest of the Cullens, they had made her go. Everyone was still very shaken up by Alice's vision, and Rosalie had thought it best that Blythe take her mind off what had happened, with the promise that they would contact her if any developments arose. The Denalis and the remainder of the Cullen siblings had gone hunting after the others arrived back from the hospital, at ease now knowing that Amelia was alright.

"Mom?" Amelia was waving her hands in front of her mother's eyes, "earth to Mother dearest!"

"Greetings, oh youngest child of mine," replied Esme, voice dripping with sarcasm. Amelia smiled back cheekily.

"Excellent. Seeing that I have your undivided attention, Mother, could you be so kind as to inform me as to why my afternoon was wiped out yesterday? Everyone has been avoiding that topic."

"What do you remember?"

"Like I said last night, you helping me get into my pyjamas. I think Emmett was there at some point, so was Rosalie?"

"Ok-ay. Do you remember meeting the Denali's?"

"I'm not sure. It's a bit of a blur and I'm not sure if I can separate dreams from reality. Did Kate tell me about her gift? Does it have something to do with shocking people?"

"Yes it does. What else do you remember?"

Amelia sat thoughtfully, then her face drained of colour, a look of horror crossing her face. "The bathroom. I threw up. I remember screaming, I think," she whispered. She stared at the scone that she was eating and put it down, having suddenly lost her appetite, "Did I really do that?"

Esme couldn't find the words to speak. Instead, she just nodded and swallowed thickly, trying to flush out the memories of the previous day.

"Oh God. ICU psychosis?" Amelia managed to get out, scarcely able to speak over the lump that was in her throat, choking her. Esme nodded, tearing up as well. "I am so sorry, Mom," Amelia cried, bursting into tears.

"It's ok, Amelia. You weren't with us."

"You must have been so scared," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I really thought yesterday was going to be a good day. I felt so great, better than I have in months, almost like I wasn't...sick," Amelia faltered, suddenly putting two and two together, "A surge?"

Esme nodded in affirmation, shifting so that she was now seated next to Amelia. Her daughter cried into her arms. Esme realised that she'd have to tell Amelia what exactly had happened. "Alice saw you have three seizures, then your heart beating too fast, before it stopped beating altogether three times. Each time your heart stopped beating, it longer and longer to bring you back. All of us, Dad and I included, were out of the house and we didn't get the phone calls until it was too late to save you," she stated, leaving out some of the details.

Alice had told all of them earlier that morning before she left for the hunting trip that Amelia was reconsidering her immortality decision. As much as Esme wanted Amelia to become like them, she would never force her to do something she didn't want to do. It pained her to know that Amelia was so indecisive, but also respected that her daughter would come to her if she wanted to.

"What?" Amelia whimpered. The thought of putting her mother, her family, through that amount of pain was too much for her to bear. Fresh tears filled up her eyes and fell, creating a large wet patch on her mother's jersey. Esme just held her tightly and let her cry it out. When she composed herself, she handed her some tissues. Amelia wiped her face and blew her nose, before readjusting the nasal cannula. Her decision was made. Never again was she going to put her family through that hell of losing her, not while her heart still beat. She had just gotten a family, and she wasn't about to be ripped away from them. She was going to live for a very long time.

* * *

Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe were in Carlisle's speaking on the phone to Dr Anderson. Carlisle wanted Amelia at home, it was clear to everyone that ICU was starting to do more harm than good.

"She still has a raging pneumonia infection, Carlisle," argued Dr Westsmythe.

"She can continue with her IV antibiotics at home. She developed ICU psychosis, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Carlisle.

"What's her lung function like? Take a chest x-ray too and get back to me. I respect where you are coming from, Carlisle. She is not handling this hospitalisation well at all. That being said, she was coughing up blood only five days ago. Please be realistic here, Carlisle. She is very ill," broke in Dr Anderson.

"I'll request another x-ray. She is sounding better. Her lungs are definitely clearing up."

"Carlisle, let's give her a few more days to heal. Her kidneys got damaged as well," stated Dr Westsmythe.

"I don't think they will give any more problems. Preliminary results show that their function is almost normal. We took more bloods this morning, let's wait for the results. I honestly think her immune system has started fighting back."

"Carlisle, you're too close to this case. I think you need to stand down." Dr Westsmythe's voice was firm.

"Richard, I do agree with you, but right now, Carlisle is the more qualified doctor to handle Amelia's case out of the two of you. If you two gentlemen cannot reach an agreement, then I am sending a helicopter out to Forks and flying Amelia over to Rochester, and she will continue with her treatment under my care. Furthermore, if Amelia's chest x-ray is showing signs of great improvement, and her kidney function has improved as well, then I see no reason why Amelia cannot continue with her medication as an outpatient, on condition that she remains at home and comes into the hospital for testing every day for the next two weeks. No school, no extra-curricular activities, not even a trip to the shops, nothing."

"I can live with that," said Carlisle cheerfully.

"I suppose I do not have a choice," grumbled Dr Westsmythe.

"Amelia is dying, Richard. All our treatment is merely palliative, we are buying her time but in the process she is suffering. If she wants to go home, let her. Please wish her a happy belated birthday from me, Carlisle."


	50. Chapter 50

Sunday morning could not have arrived soon enough for the Cullen family. Esme was outside the ICU by 8am, anxiously waiting to go inside and see her daughter. Carlisle was already inside, being updated on her progress by the ICU staff. Thanks to Blythe, the infection that was residing in Amelia's lungs was improving, her kidneys were handling the medication she was on better than they had been and her heart was beating stronger than it had been for a good couple of months.

Carlisle, Dr Westsmythe and Dr Anderson had agreed to keep Amelia for one last night to monitor her and if she held out, they would allow her to be discharged. Esme and Carlisle had refrained from telling her, in case it didn't materialise and she was disappointed. Finally, Esme was allowed in.

"Amelia can go home today," said Carlisle, a smile breaking out on his features as he opened up the door to the ICU and allowed her inside.

"Oh really? That is marvellous news!" exclaimed Esme in delight. ICU protocol wouldn't allow her inside but that didn't mean that she couldn't hear every word while she anxiously paced the corridor, waiting to be let in. She made a beeline for Amelia's room. The sickly teenager was asleep, a tray of breakfast on her bedside table, still uneaten.

"She woke up at about 5am, and had her physio, but she has since fallen asleep. She has not yet eaten breakfast, Mrs Cullen," said Ellie, coming into the room and standing next to Esme, "She was so tired after physio, I really didn't have the heart to wake her up for breakfast."

"I'm quite happy to leave her to sleep as well. Is this sort of behaviour normal?"

"Sleeping a lot? Yes. Her body is going to tire a lot more easily now after this setback. She should perk up a bit once the worst of the pneumonia is over, but this is basically what her days will be like, lots of sleeping."

"Thank you for everything, Ellie. I do greatly appreciate how much you have cared for Amelia this week."

"She's a right darling, Mrs Cullen. It just makes me so sad that she's sick like this. Poor mite."

"It's horrible knowing that every setback she had limits our time further. We have nearly lost her so many times since January and it is quite scary."

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Mrs Cullen. She gave us quite a scare on Friday with her episode and then that horrid seizure. It is so fortunate that Dr Cullen picked up that it was a heart problem and not a misfire in her brain and got her the proper medicine. Anyway, shall we get Amelia ready for going home?"

"I think so. I'd prefer to give her some breakfast at home if that is alright with you."

"Fine with me, although let's also ask Amelia. I'd hate for her to become hypoglycaemic. Her blood sugar levels have been all over the show this week. I need to get Amelia's IVs ready for the week ahead. I shall be back in a few minutes." Ellie left the room. Esme could hear her picking up the phone and calling the pharmacy to check on the IV meds that Amelia would need to continue with for the week ahead. Esme took some fresh clothes out of the overnight bag that Alice had handed her that morning and put them on top of the bed, before waking the teenager.

"Amelia, sweetheart. Wakey wakey," she spoke softly, gently shaking the sleeping teenager.

"Mm?" groaned Amelia, eyes still shut.

"It's time to go home, Mia-bug," she stated, using the nickname that the Rochester staff had bestowed upon her. She wasn't really one to use nicknames, she thought her daughter's name was quite lovely and did not require abbreviating, no matter what her daughter tried to convince her.

"Home?" she whispered, eyes snapping open. She blinked a few times and her mother's face came into focus.

"Home," confirmed Esme, smiling widely. Amelia sat up and gently swung her legs over the side.

"Now?" she queried hopefully, sliding down the side of the bed until her feet touched the floor.

"You need to get dressed first. Oh, and sweetheart, you're showing the world your underwear."

"It's called ICU for a reason," grumbled Amelia, grabbing the back of her gown and pulling it forward so no one else saw her underwear.

"I see you. Nice undies by the way," chuckled Carlisle, coming into the room and winking at Esme. Amelia squeaked in horror. Esme rolled her eyes and glared at Carlisle. Carlisle moved so that he could detach the IV line from Amelia's arm so that she could undress unhindered by the tube that snaked out of her right hand.

"If the ICU invested in a little phenomenon otherwise known as curtaining, it would preserve my dignity and prevent untold damage to the poor nurses and doctors who have to bear witness to such atrocities. Actually no, a decent fitting gown would be great. One size fits all is a myth," retorted Amelia, "where the heck am I going to change? The ICU has seen enough of my nakedness, thank you very much."

"Simple. Dad will guard the door."

"Excellent idea. No peeking, Dad!"

"Why? Does your bra match your underwear? Never mind, Alice packed your clothes. In my experience, _everything_ matches," muttered Carlisle, turning his back firmly and guarding the door.

"Da-ad!" squealed Amelia. Esme started laughing.

"What? It's the truth!" he protested good-naturedly. Esme nodded in confirmation.

"Ew! Way too much information, parents!"

Carlisle and Esme packed out laughing. Amelia joined in after muttering under her breath about how they were polluting her mind. Secretly, she enjoyed the easy banter between her parents. Even after 80 odd years of marriage, they were still as in love as they were the first time they ever laid eyes on each other. Amelia hoped that one day she might have that same kind of love. Esme helped her finish getting dressed. Alice had packed some jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and a hoodie for Amelia, along with a coat, scarf, beanie and Amelia's favourite pair of Levi's. She pulled out a belt and Amelia gratefully put it in. At least her pants wouldn't fall off.

"It's safe, Dad," Amelia called, pulling a hoodie over her head.

"Oh thank goodness. I thought you were never going to be dressed! You took forever!" Carlisle groaned dramatically and sagged against the door. Amelia tossed her hospital gown in his direction, laughing when it landed on his head and covered his face. Carlisle slowly pulled it off his face and glared at his daughter, before taking a step towards her, wiggling his fingers. Amelia realised that he was going to start tickling her. She took a step backwards and hid behind Esme.

"Mom! Save me!"

"Esme, come on, let me at her," whined Carlisle, pretending to try get past Esme to launch a tickle attack on his fragile human daughter.

"Not happening, Carlisle," said Esme, protectively shielding Amelia, who was nearly doubled over from laughter. Esme was smiling happily. Amelia was laughing again, a good sign in her books.

"You're no fun!" he protested, but stopped the minute he heard Amelia start coughing.

"Good thing I didn't eat breakfast else I would have lost that," stated Amelia brightly once she had recovered from her coughing fit, "Can I go home now?"

"I need to make a quick detour past the pharmacy on our way out, but yes, let's get you out of here," stated Carlisle as he switched on the portable oxygen concentrator and handed Amelia her own nasal cannula. She swapped the two very quickly and Esme buttoned up her coat and stuck a beanie on her head. Amelia watched as Carlisle walked out of her room to answer a phone call.

"You have a spot of something on your cheek," Esme muttered, rifling through her handbag for a tissue and attacking Amelia's cheek with it.

"Mom!" Amelia protested, trying to squirm out of her mother's grasp.

"It's a delightful shade of yellow and red," replied Esme, stepping back and tossing the tissue in the trashcan. Amelia glared at her and shook her head in disdain.

"Your chariot awaits, milady," said Carlisle, arriving with a wheelchair. Surprisingly, she got in without comment. It struck her parents then just how much the latest stint in ICU had cost her. Esme had wanted to cry when she saw her daughter's body on Friday. Amelia had lost even more weight than when Esme had first laid eyes on her. It had been an uphill battle to get her to gain any weight. Amelia had been thrilled when she had picked up nearly three pounds. It was progress, while not much to the casual observer, it was a lot for someone with the massive digestive problems that she faced.

Amelia was starting to resemble Bella in her final stages of her pregnancy with Renesmee, that same sick, gaunt look and ever so thin, her bones protruding where a layer of muscle or fat usually covered them. They had almost lost Bella then, and even although Esme now knew that Amelia's decision to become immortal was affirmative and unwavering, she still had her concerns that they might lose Amelia anyway. They had almost lost her back in Rochester, and Esme was uneasy with just how close they had come to losing her on Tuesday and again on Friday. It shook her to the core. She really did need to have a little heart to heart with her daughter in the near future.

After bidding farewell to the ICU staff, they left the hospital. Rosalie had been the person who had phoned Carlisle earlier, telling him that she had fetched Amelia's medicine for them so that Carlisle and Esme could get Amelia home as soon as possible. She had already unpacked it and taken the IVs upstairs, and had Amelia's medication breakfast medication out next to a glass of water and some cereal waiting by the time the trio arrived home. Emmett had been pacing up and down and was delighted when he heard the Mercedes' tyres turning onto the driveway.

"You'd better undo your seatbelt now," warned Esme as Carlisle opened the garage door.

"Be ready to make a hasty escape from the car," commented Carlisle, "concentrator included."

"Why?" asked Amelia, doing as she was told.

"Squirt!" boomed Emmett, wrenching the interleading door open and bounding into the garage the moment the Mercedes pulled into its designated parking spot. He threw open the back door and pulled his little sister out of the car, delighted that she was home. He lifted her into the air and grinned up at her, then threw her over his shoulder and sauntered into the house.

"I see what you mean," was the last thing Esme heard as Amelia was deposited onto the floor and given a hero's welcome by her family.

"Emmett," said Carlisle, shaking his head in amusement and climbing out the car himself.

"All of my babies are home," stated Esme happily, going to the boot and taking Amelia's overnight bag out of it, along with her beloved teddy bear. "Oh hush you!" she called when she heard her five elder children protesting. Carlisle shut the boot and they left the garage hand in hand.

After shrugging off her coat and dumping the bag in the laundry room, Esme walked into the living room where all six of her children, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were seated. The Denalis and Blythe had gone to do a little shopping so as to give the Cullens some time alone with Amelia.

"Let Amelia eat some breakfast. You can do plenty of catching up afterwards," she chided gently. With an apologetic smile at her siblings, Amelia stood up and followed her mother into the kitchen, pausing only to take off her coat, scarf and beanie and hang them up. She sighed when someone, presumably Carlisle, swopped her oxygen lines. She seated herself at the island and dug into her cereal without comment and took her medication. She seemed almost resigned. Halfway through her cereal, she set down her spoon and rested her head on her left hand. Her right hand still had a drip site. Esme could hear Carlisle adding the antibiotics and the feeds to the IV pole once used by Bella and now occupying a spot in Amelia's room, much to Alice's horror. It clashed something awful.

"Not hungry?" queried Esme gently. Amelia glanced up and shook her head, stifling a yawn, "you need to eat a little more than just that, sweetheart."

"I know, Mom," she whispered, offering Esme a weak smile. She got up and walked over to one of the numerous cupboards and opened it up, selecting a mug and shutting it again. She then picked up her bowl of cereal and walked to the sink, before pouring the contents of the bowl into the mug. She wasn't exactly accurate and some milk spilled down the side. She wiped the mug and moved it away before cleaning her bowl and putting it on the drying rack. She nearly dropped it but fortunately Esme caught it before it could break.

"I'm sorry," Amelia apologised softly. Esme frowned and noticed how Amelia's hands were shaking.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking her daughter's trembling hand in her icy one.

"It takes a little while for the nebuliser meds to wear off. It's a new one," said Amelia, "do you mind if I go and lie down for a little while?"

"Not at all. Let's get you upstairs," said Esme, picking up the cereal mug and glass of water that Rosalie had set out for her. They made their way slowly up the stairs.

"Do you mind if I check your blood glucose levels?" asked Carlisle, joining them in Amelia's bedroom. Amelia held out her right hand and allowed Carlisle to test it, "It's normal."

Amelia nodded and untied her shoes, before pulling them off and placing them neatly next to bed. She walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then pulled her left arm into the hoodie and pulled it off her head as well, before easing the right sleeve over the drip on her hand. She didn't want it to be resited if she accidentally pulled it out.

"Can I maybe have a quick shower first please?" she asked, "I haven't bathed since Friday and I smell. And those sheets are clean and smell nice, and well, I don't."

"Why not bath and I'll wash your hair for you?" suggested Esme.

"Sounds great," said Amelia, eating a spoonful of cereal before waltzing back into the bathroom to run herself a well-deserved bath.


	51. Chapter 51

"Mia's looking a lot better than when I last saw her," commented Emmett when Esme came downstairs after putting Amelia to bed. She had been exhausted, and was already asleep when Carlisle attached her IV antibiotics and feeds. It was somewhat of a relief to hear the oxygen concentrator whirring away on the third floor. The house had been too quiet without it when Amelia was in hospital.

"Yes she is, I suppose," murmured Carlisle as he also walked downstairs.

"She's sleeping," stated Esme, walking into the kitchen with the mug of cereal. Amelia had eaten most of it and Carlisle told Esme to just leave what she hadn't eaten. Amelia had eaten what she could and it was pointless arguing further with her.

"She'll wake up around noon," said Alice, "she'll be a little bit peckish but rather let her take care of it, Esme."

Esme nodded and went to put Amelia's bath towel in the drier. After she had bustled about and kept herself occupied for a while, she walked towards the living room. The Denalis had arrived home after their shopping trip. Blythe was walking into the house, and greeted Esme cheerfully as they met in the corridor.

"I got Mia some ice-cream," said Blythe, holding up a tub of the cold dairy refreshment, "mint chocolate. It's her favourite."

"Amelia likes ice cream?" she frowned. She didn't know Amelia even ate it, let alone her favourite flavour.

"Yip. She really dug into it last week at school when they served it in the cafeteria as a treat," replied Blythe, walking into the kitchen and opening up the freezer, "Jeez! How on earth is this thing packed? There's not an inch of space! Why do you have so much food, Esme? Mia doesn't eat that much!"

"Ever tried feeding a pack of wolves?" hummed Esme, following Blythe into the kitchen and holding out her hand for the ice cream, "mind out the way, hun. I need to figure out where to put this darn tub."

"You could just hold it all day long," called Emmett.

"Are you volunteering?" retorted Esme.

"Nah, I'm good thanks."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

One repacked freezer later, Esme and Blythe walked to the living room where the others were sitting. Alice had brought Amelia's birthday presents out so that she could finally open them. Amelia had not been in the best state of mind to unwrap them during her party. Practically everyone had retreated to the TV room to watch a film, except for Carlisle, who was waiting for Esme so that they could chat to Blythe.

"Blythe, do you mind if the three of us have a little chat?" asked Carlisle. Blythe nodded and they went to sit down on one of the couches.

"Is everything alright, Carlisle?" asked Blythe in concern. She racked her brain to think of something she had done wrong, but came up blank.

"Everything is fine, sweetheart. You haven't done anything wrong," promised Esme.

"Ok, that is a relief," said Blythe, sighing in obvious relief.

"We wanted to know what your plans are when the school exchange is over. You've been in Forks for nearly 3 weeks, so I imagine you have little more than a week left with us?"

"I have 13 days left. I will leave next Saturday, so I have two more weeks left of school, although I will not be going in on the last Friday because I need to pack up my things."

"We have a proposition for you. We were wondering if you'd like to move in with us," said Carlisle.

"For how long?" asked Blythe in surprise.

"Indefinitely. Esme and I consider you a daughter, and the kids think of you as a sister."

"We worry that you're going to be all alone," murmured Esme.

"I've been around for nearly 200 years, Esme. You really don't need to worry about me," she teased gently, "I'd really like to see more of you all in the future, Amelia in particular. Please do keep in touch if nothing else. I respectfully decline your offer for now, but I promise to give it some thought in the future."

"Our door is always open, Blythe," said Esme, giving the teenaged healer a hug.

"Thank you, both of you, for your hospitality. You have both been so generous."

"We should be thanking you, Blythe. You've saved Amelia twice this week alone."

"It was an absolute pleasure. I shudder to think what would have happened otherwise. Amelia is very special."

With that, the trio walked into the TV room to watch the film with the others.

* * *

Amelia awoke with a start at around noon. She'd had the strangest dream, and by strange, she meant downright weird. Her family, Blythe, the Denalis and the shapeshifter pack were standing at the edge of a cliff, a waterfall to the side. They seemed sad. Her mother was holding onto something. The pack disappeared behind the trees and returned a few moments later in their human form. Amelia couldn't understand why everyone was so sad. She could hear her family muttering something and the sun coming out from behind a cloud and the vampires sparkling. Wait a minute, they really did sparkle? Talk about looking like a walking disco-ball.

Then her mom and dad opened up whatever it was that Esme was cradling to her and tipped it, allowing the wind to carry the contents away. It looked like dirt. Why were her parents tipping dirt over a cliff? That made no sense. Was this some sort of weird vampire ritual? Speaking of, she really needed to speak to them about that. Wait a minute, was this going to be like that scene from _The Big Lebowski_ when Walter scattered Donny's ashes and they blew onto The Dude?

Then the sun came out more and a rainbow formed and everyone seemed more at peace, albeit still sad, like they had lost someone close to them. Amelia half expected a unicorn or singing mice to appear out of the trees and serenade her family. Her imagination didn't disappoint, and she watched everyone be attacked and eaten by a giant squid.

Amelia blinked as she recalled the bizarreness of the dream. Darn, those meds were strong. She got out of bed, wincing as the various lines attached to the IV stand reminded her of their presence. She frowned and reached up to detach them from the IV stand, before putting on her slippers and walking slowly down the stairs, switching over concentrators when she reached the bottom. She peeked into the living room, no one. The noise she could hear from the TV room told her that that was where everyone was.

Amelia walked into the kitchen, coughing loudly as her lungs found yet another way to hinder her movement. She spied a hook near the sink and hung up her IVs and feeds there. She then opened up the fridge and stared at it for a little while, wondering what to have for lunch. She turned around, shut the door and walked to check the bread. It was fresh, excellent. She hunted around for the toaster and once she had pulled it out of the cupboard, she plugged it into the wall and popped two slices in. She then took out the butter, a knife and a plate and put the kettle on. It boiled quickly and she poured herself a cup of tea. She buttered the now toasted bread and wiped down the toaster.

She placed her plate on the kitchen island and moved her tea across, before taking the appropriate medication, grimacing as she quickly swallowed three Creon capsules, probably one of the most important medications she took. They provided her body with the enzymes that her pancreas failed to produce enough of to aid in food digestion. Failure to take these was not an option. Yay for Cystic Fibrosis.

"Did you sleep well?" a voice sounded. Amelia glanced up and smiled at Carlisle, who leaned against the doorframe.

"Yes thanks, Dad. I feel better having had a bath and nap."

"Glad to hear it. Did you take all your meds?" he queried, coming over to her and kissing the top of her head, before pulling up a chair next to her.

"Yes I did. Everything."

"Good girl," he smiled, watching her eat, "nice job with the hooks and your IVs."

"Gracias. As they say in Afrikaans, _'n boer maak 'n plan_. It literally means _a farmer makes a plan_. Where there is a will, there is a way. Call it what you will," explained Amelia when she spied the confused look on her father's face. He nodded seriously. Amelia focused on her toast, staring at it for longer than was necessary, before picking it up and taking a bite.

"Is there something bothering you, Amelia?" he asked. Amelia glanced behind her in the direction of the TV room and shot her father a pleading look.

"Nothing Dad, just these meds are taking some getting used to," she said casually, taking another bite out of her toast and miming writing. Carlisle reached behind him and passed Amelia a pen and paper.

 _Chat later? Just the two of us?_ She wrote and passed him the paper. He read it and nodded. Amelia put her finger to her lips. He winked and tore up the paper, tossing it into the bin. Amelia sighed and leaned to the side, resting her head on Carlisle's shoulder. He responded by gently resting his head on top of hers. The pair sat that way for a little while.

"I love you, Dad," murmured Amelia, a million miles away, "I dreamed you were eaten by a giant squid."

"Well if that's not that the cutest proclamation of parental love then I don't know what is," muttered Carlisle sarcastically. The family packed out laughing, they had now moved into the living room so that Amelia could open her presents. Amelia snorted and groaned out loud when the action dislodged a piece of mucous, yanking her nasal cannula out before the mucous could block it up. Carlisle started laughing and handed his daughter a tissue, while she blew her nose and glared at him.

"You think it's funny? I'd love to say just wait when it happens to you but that's just a waste of my breath," she exclaimed in mock indignation.

"Mia, come and open your presents!" exclaimed Alice, dancing into the kitchen enthusiastically and dragging Amelia in the living room with her. Carlisle shook his head in amusement and trailed after his youngest daughters.


	52. Chapter 52

"Hello Amelia," greeted Carmen excitedly, bounding up to the teenager and giving her a hug.

"Hi Carmen," smiled Amelia shyly. The last time the woman had seen her was when she was screaming her lungs out begging for her death. It was awkward for Amelia to say the least. Carmen smiled at her fondly and winked, which made Amelia feel a lot better. Alice led her over to the couch where Esme was sitting, and Carlisle joined the pair a moment later, carrying the IV bags and hanging them up on the IV pole that occupied the lounge. Jasper, Blythe and Tanya occupied one of the couches nearest to the door, with a space open for Alice. Rosalie, Emmett, Bella and Edward occupied another one, with Renesmee eagerly perched on the armrest. Edward had a protective arm thrown around his daughter's waist. The only other occupied couch was inhabited by the remainder of the Denali coven.

"We have been waiting for ages for you to open them up, Mia," exclaimed Alice, walking over with a stack of presents and depositing them on the floor in front of Amelia. Amelia could only stare wide-eyed at the large stack of gifts before her. Never had she received so many gifts for her birthday before. Birthdays were never a big event at the group home, usually because Amelia was in hospital anyway.

"These are all for me?" she whispered in surprise. Jasper picked up on her emotions and smiled at her.

"Yes Mia, they are all for you."

"And there are more to come!" stated Alice, depositing a second, and thankfully smaller, pile of presents in front of Amelia with a flourish.

"Thank you all so much," Amelia whispered, still in awe that she had people who cared enough about her to give her presents.

"Open Nessie's first!" exclaimed Alice, thrusting a small package into Amelia's hands.

"Hey Ness, do you want to help me unwrap it?" she asked. Renesmee eagerly bounded up to where Amelia sat and snatched her present away before unwrapping it faster than Amelia could ever dream of. She handed Amelia a picture frame, with a photo of the two of them. It was taken one weekend when the pair had decided to venture onto the patio with some tea and cake.

"I chose the frame," Renesmee said shyly, "I hope you like it."

"I love it, Ness, thank you so much," stated Amelia, engulfing her niece in a hug. Renesmee smiled widely before bouncing back to her seat. She then picked up another present, and read the card on it.

" _May the Force be with you_ ," it read. Amelia glanced up at Emmett questioningly, before neatly opening it up.

"Oh come on squirt! Just rip the paper!" exclaimed Emmett, who looked ready to take over for his little sister.

"I'm unwrapping as fast as my little fingers will allow me," replied Amelia sarcastically, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth in concentration, "it's not my fault you used an entire sheet of wrapping paper."

She got it open and giggled when she saw the contents. Her big bear of a brother had given her a boxset of all six Star Wars films, and two light sabres, one blue and one green.

"So that we can duel with light sabres afterwards," grinned Emmett, feeling very proud of himself.

"Whatever you do, do not let Jasper get hold of yours," begged Esme, "the last time I lost a chandelier to their duelling."

"Thanks Emmy-bear," she said, "Maybe we can watch the first one later?"

"Awesome!"

Unsurprisingly, she received a ton of designer clothes and accessories from Alice. From Jasper, she received a few new books, which delighted her endlessly. Among them was _Anna Karenina_ , a book that was on her bucket list. A pair of white leather ice skates was unwrapped next, blades glistening in the light, with appropriate accessories to go with.

"Thank you everyone," Amelia directed her comment at the Denalis.

"When you visit us, you can ice-skate on one of the many frozen lakes in winter," said Carmen, smiling at the sickly teenager.

"I'd like that," she smiled back.

She received a book about Quileute Legends from Jacob, Leah and Seth, with a short note about why Quileutes were the best of the Native American tribes - something to do with wolves apparently, according to the scrawled handwriting on her card. She also received a small dreamcatcher which she was thrilled with. From Bella and Edward, she received some stunning jewellery that made her inner girly girl squeal in delight. She selected a large envelope next and opened that up. Blythe and Rosalie had clubbed together and gotten her a travel voucher for that one day in the future when she could finally spread her wings and travel the world. A second piece of paper tumbled out of the envelope and landed on Amelia's lap. She picked it up and squinted at it. She finally figured it out.

"Is this a license booking sheet?" she asked Rosalie.

"Yes it is. You take the test in three weeks' time. I know you can do it," she smiled at her little sister. It was true. Amelia was able to drive very well, and the previous week she had been allowed to drive herself and Rosalie to school, something which was a big deal for her. Rosalie had driven the car home afterwards and raved about how good Amelia was. It was a typical rainy day in Forks but Amelia had taken it in her stride and gotten them there in one piece, albeit a little slower than Rosalie would have preferred. She then consulted with Alice and the pair went to book Amelia's drivers' test.

"Wow. Thanks Rosie, and Blythe," she exclaimed in delight.

"This comes from Dani, Ames and Narcisse," said Blythe, handing her a present. Amelia opened that as well, and was delighted with the photo album and the small teddy bear that her friends had decided to buy for her. The girls had discussed it with Alice at the sleepover, and she in turn had alerted Carlisle and Esme, who were planning on giving her the same thing.

"This is lovely. I shall text them all later to say thank you," stated Amelia, setting it aside. Only two gifts remained. A small one, definitely a box of some sort, and a large one, suspiciously shaped like Amelia's new violin case that she had acquired a few weeks ago. Her old one had been in desperate need of replacing.

"Those two are from Dad and me," said Esme, picking them up and passing them to her. Amelia smiled and opened up the smaller of the two, gasping in delight when she found a small digital camera box.

"Thank you so much," she exclaimed, giving her mom a hug.

"You're welcome sweetheart," replied Esme, taking the box from Amelia so that she could open her final gift. Alice had foreseen Amelia's reaction and the entire family was waiting to see her "totally freak" according to Alice. Amelia stifled a yawn and concentrated on not accidentally giving herself a paper cut. When she was tired, she got clumsy. Edward picked up on her exhaustion and muttered to Esme to help her unwrap the final gift. Esme gently took the gift and ripped off the paper for her daughter, who smiled sleepily at her.

"A violin case?" she smiled, running her hands along the firm, dark red fabric. Her name had been embroidered onto the case, "thanks guys. I love the colour."

"Open it up," urged Esme, unable to wait a second longer.

"Come on, Mia!" exclaimed Alice, practically bouncing off her chair in anticipation. Amelia slowly unzipped the case, enjoying her moment of torturing her enthusiastic sister. She opened it up, and took in the medium brown coloured wood of the violin nestled within. She ran her fingers along it, taking in the spruce, willow and maple that made up the instrument. The chin rest was made of wood. Strange, but not unheard of. It had an intricate decoration running along the sides. The design looked familiar, she was sure she had seen it somewhere in her music class notes. Suddenly it clicked. Her eyes widened as she made the connection. She could only stare in total amazement at the instrument.

"She's figured it out," whispered Edward, too low for Amelia to hear.

"Is this violin what I think it is?" Amelia whispered, lightly running her fingers along the decorations. She glanced up at Esme and Carlisle.

"Yes it is," confirmed Carlisle, "it was mine many centuries ago, and now it is yours."

"Wow," was all she could whisper.

Nestled in the violin case was a Stradivarius, and a decorated one at that. Only eleven decorated instruments were ever made by the legendary instrument maker, including the only decorated cello. Approximately 600 instruments were left of the genius who made his trade in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. They were old, but their sound quality had never been reproduced by any violin maker since. A Stradivarius string instrument was legendary among strings players; many would love the opportunity to play on one, never mind own one.

"I purchased it in my early days as a vampire," said Carlisle, "I admired the sound quality of Antonio Stradivari's instruments, particularly his harps. But lugging a harp around was a bit tedious and bulky, so I settled for a violin in the hopes that I would one day learn to play. I never had the patience for it, but kept it anyway. I'm quite glad I did. I suppose it is an heirloom of sorts now. We had the strings replaced with new ones. I'm sorry for not telling you about it sooner, but we wanted it to be a surprise for your birthday. It really could do with some exercise, so to speak."

"You own a Stradivarius. Wow," Amelia breathed, totally transfixed by the beautiful instrument in front of her, "these instruments are legendary."

"May it bring you many happy hours of playing."

"Thank you, Dad." Amelia leaned towards Carlisle and gave him a hug. She did the same to Esme, before shutting the case and going to hug everyone in the room to thank them for her gifts.

"Why don't you play something for us?" suggested Edward, seeing, and hearing, how eager his little sister was to play for them. Amelia's eyes lit up in delight and she nodded enthusiastically. She picked up the violin case and scuttled out of the room, dragging her IV pole along with her. Had she been able to run, she surely would have sprinted to the grand piano that stood in one of the reception rooms right at the front of the house. It was Edward's favourite piano, and the pair often played together there rather than in the music room. Edward followed her and opened it up, allowing Amelia to tune her violin.

"It's so pretty!" she exclaimed as she finally picked it up out of the case and held it under her chin to tune it. Edward played an A note and she tuned her Stradivarius, squealing in excitement when she heard the sound that her bow generated from the strings. Esme and Carlisle grinned at each other and went to sit in the reception room, the others following suit. Edward stepped away from the piano so that Amelia could play for them. Taking a breath, she played the same piece of music that she had played at the school's Spring Concert, her own composition. The precision with which she played what was undeniably a tricky piece of music that many of her peers would take far longer to play well enough was astounding.

"I have never heard this piece of music before. It is lovely," commented Tanya, smiling at the teenager when she was finally finished.

"It's her own composition, which we heard for the first time on Monday at Amelia's Spring Concert," boasted Esme proudly.

"You composed that piece by yourself?" queried Garret in amazement. He too was a lover of classical music and knew a good piece of music when he heard it.

"Yes she did," broke in Edward, "she blocked her thoughts from me and practiced at school and at a friend's house so that we could not hear her. She wanted it to be a surprise for us."

"Wow, Amelia! You are talented," concluded Carmen, smiling proudly at her niece.

"Thank you," said Amelia, smiling shyly back. She directed her next comment to her siblings and parents, "It sounds way cooler on the Stradivarius than on my Windsor, which is what my violin is."

"That old thing?" joked Emmett, "I agree. It is a tad more bearable than on this new one."

"This violin is older than you, Emmett. You may want to remember that," Amelia reprimanded playfully. In spite of Emmett's protesting, he was ridiculously proud of his beloved little squirt, as only a big brother could be. He constantly drove the others nuts when he bragged about how awesome his little sister was, even although the rest of the family could hear Amelia just as well as he could.

"Seriously Emmett, your appreciation for classical music needs some work," commented Blythe, rolling her eyes at the biggest Cullen brother.

"Do you want to hear something else?" asked Amelia, eager to play some more on her new violin, but not wanting to show off either.

"Yes!" chorused Carlisle and Esme. They both loved hearing their youngest child play. Amelia picked up her violin and began to play _Partita Number 3 – Preludio_ by Bach.

As the rest of the family listened to the music, Carlisle's thoughts drifted off. He wondered what it was that was bothering Amelia so much that she wanted to talk to him alone. Perhaps he ought to have Esme on standby just in case. On second thoughts, maybe that wasn't such a smart idea. Whatever it was, she probably wanted to spare Esme the same anguish. Perhaps Rosalie was a better choice, she and Amelia were incredibly close and Amelia largely confided in her, when she felt so inclined, although those incidences were few and far between. That being said, Amelia had told no one about her uncertainty about her immortality.

Amelia hated the thought of 'unloading' her problems on others, preferring to bottle it up. Years of being in the foster system had made his daughter's ability to confide in anyone impenetrable but with the love and support from her family she was breaking down those barriers. Amelia was tough and extremely adept at compartmentalising, but she was equally vulnerable and more sensitive than she let on. Every once in a while she let her guard down, and her family witnessed the true extent of her vulnerability and general child-likeness. In Amelia's brief 16 years of existence, the monsters did not lurk under her bed or in her closet - the real monsters were the ones who acted under the pretence of helping her, the ones whom she should have been allowed to trust.

Carlisle glanced at Edward, who was staring at him. They had a silent conversation, and both glanced at Alice, who came out of her vision and nodded. It reassured Carlisle to know that it wasn't anything serious or life threatening that was bothering his teenage daughter. But then what was it? He saw Edward glare at him and sent him an apology in his head, before refocussing on Amelia who was coming to the end of her piece.

When Amelia was done playing, and her family had clapped lightly for her – much to Amelia's embarrassment – Emmett eagerly proposed that they all retreat to the TV room and watch Episode I of the Star Wars series. Amelia cheerfully agreed and soon the entire family was back in the TV room, listening to the opening credits, which Amelia tapped out having played it only a week before.


	53. Chapter 53

**Author's Note-**

 **This chapter is a bit on the mature side. There is no** ** _activity_** **, but Amelia and Carlisle will be having their chat. Given her past abuse and her fears that have developed as a result, it is not going to be pleasant but it does need to be done. There will be no description of her abuse, those details will be mentioned in a later chapter. If a discussion of such a nature is upsetting to you, then please do not feel under any obligation to read it :)**

* * *

"Mind if I check your wound site quickly?" asked Carlisle, referring to the delightful scar that the chest drain wound would leave once it had healed up. Amelia nodded and lifted up her pyjama top on the right side so that Carlisle could remove the plaster and assess it. The pair were sitting in his office. They had finished watching Episode I of the Star Wars boxset from Emmett and after a quick nap, it was time for Amelia's least favourite activity of the day – physiotherapy.

"I hate plasters," grimaced Amelia as she felt her skin being pulled as Carlisle ripped the plaster off quickly and placed an icy hand immediately over to area to soothe the sting.

"Well it's looking good for now," stated Carlisle, assessing the wound, "no signs of infection."

"Yet," broke in Amelia, sighing quietly. Carlisle said nothing and grabbed some disinfectant and dabbed the wound softly. Amelia held her breath as she often did when she was in pain. It stung, and brought a few tears to her eyes.

"Breathe, Amelia," reminded Carlisle. She nodded and let go of the breath she was holding. Carlisle then dried it off and placed a new plaster over the wound and pulled Amelia's top back down.

"So how many collapsed lungs have you had?" he asked conversationally, propping Amelia up on some pillows and helping her turn onto her side so that he could start administering the airway clearance treatment. He grabbed her nebuliser, chock-full with inhalational antibiotics, bronchodilators and saline, and passed it to her. She obligingly pulled the elasticated band over her head and adjusted the face mask until it was comfortable.

"Five. So there is pulmicort, garamycin and I'm not sure I want to know what all else is in here," she stated, pulling a face as Carlisle put on the nebulising unit and she got her first taste of the hideous concoction of medication.

"Saline, a couple of bronchodilators, same old," he grinned, beginning his rhythmic percussion of Amelia's back in order to loosen up the abnormally thick mucus that her body produced. She had once likened it to coughing up peanut butter, so thick it was.

"Forget a chest drain, I think you could reinflate my lungs with physio alone," giggled Amelia, inhaling the medication through her nose and exhaling it through her mouth.

"Beating the living daylight out of collapsed lungs in Cystic Fibrosis patients: a randomised study, by Carlisle Cullen and Amelia Theodore-Cullen," snorted Carlisle, "it'll be a hit in some or other medical journal."

"Forget chest drains, just call your local friendly vampire for help," chimed in Amelia, sounding suspiciously like a sale representative, "dial-a-Vamp, for all your vampirism requirements."

Carlisle chuckled at Amelia's silliness. Downstairs, he could hear the others chortling as well. Amelia had a good sense of humour, and it was resurfacing now that she was starting to recover from her ordeal. Amelia herself was laughing at her own joke, which quickly turned to coughing. Carlisle stopped what he was doing and helped her sit up, handing her some tissues. It passed thankfully, and she moved over to the other side to that Carlisle could percuss the left side of her back and help get rid of the mucus on that side too.

"The others want to play baseball tonight," stated Carlisle towards the end of the physiotherapy session. The Denalis were leaving the next morning and obviously a game was vampire baseball was on the cards.

"Ok," yawned Amelia.

"There will be a thunderstorm later, and it is the only time that we can play."

"And I can't go with, right?" asked Amelia, understanding where the conversation was heading.

"You're not supposed to be outdoors, no, and especially not in the rain. Even with a mask on, we can't chance it," stated Carlisle gently. He really did want to take Amelia with them – he knew she would have a blast watching her family play – but she was trying to recover from double pneumonia, and with the force with which her brothers tended to hit the ball, he didn't want her anywhere near them just yet.

"I can handle rain, but it's the thunder I can't stand," stated Amelia, zoning out, "bad things always happen during storms."

Carlisle was silent for a minute, worried about what his daughter was implying. As quickly as the faraway look appeared in her eyes, it left and Amelia returned to the present with a slight shudder. Carlisle decided that they had done enough airway clearance for the day and helped his daughter to sit up.

"Please take your cell phones with in case I need to get hold of you," said Amelia, recalling what Esme had told her about Alice's vision of her dying because no one could be reached in time.

"I'll be staying behind. The others are really considering not going because you can't go with, but Alice is trying to convince them to go."

"Seriously guys, go and have fun. Next time we play, I'll be kicking your –" called Amelia, knowing her family could hear her.

"Language, Amelia!" chided Esme, walking into the office.

"-behinds!" Amelia completed.

"Oh that is so not going to happen, squirt!" hollered Emmett, loudly enough that Amelia could hear him.

"You're so on, big guy!"

"So there is some dinner ready for you, you just need to heat it up. In the meantime, shall we get your sweaty posterior into the shower?" queried Esme gently. She was already dressed in baseball attire, complete with personalised t-shirt. The Cullen crest was embroidered on the top left of her baseball top, and her name was printed on the back. Alice clearly won that battle. One day, Amelia would get a baseball top like that too.

"Number one, I do not smell, Mother dearest. Secondly, you're abandoning me for the favourite American pastime, so I suppose I ought to be ignoring you right now," Amelia mock huffed, moving her arms into a crossed position across her chest and trying to subtly smell her armpits to ascertain if she really was sweaty, "on second thoughts, scrap that. I really do stink."

"I can stay if you want me too," stated Esme in mock disdain, trying to make Amelia feel guilty. It worked.

"No, seriously, please go and have fun. Get a home run for me or something. You really deserve the break," Amelia immediately replied, suddenly worried that she had taken her light-hearted teasing a little too far.

Esme took Amelia's face in her hands. "I was just pulling your leg, sweetheart," she smiled, "actually I prefer to be the umpire because it keeps your siblings from cheating. I will however take my phone with and you can give me a call at any time okay? If you want me to come home, I'll be there."

Amelia nodded, reassured, and allowed Esme to lead her out of the room and into her bathroom, where she managed a quick shower. Esme carried her downstairs and started heating up Amelia's dinner. When it was thoroughly warmed up, she pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead before leaving with the rest of the family. Blythe was already tossing a baseball up and down, eager to start playing with those who held the same strength as her. Amelia watched her family disappear into the trees, before taking a bite of her dinner. She managed to eat it all, and was quite pleased with herself for managing to do so.

"Finish everything?" asked Carlisle, walking into the kitchen.

"Yes I did," she replied, downing the remainder of her medication with a sip of water.

"Good. Sorry I didn't come and sit with you, I got holed up with a call from the hospital."

"I thought I heard the phone ringing," remarked Amelia, frowning slightly.

"Shall we have our chat?" queried Carlisle kindly. Amelia needed to do it on her own terms.

"Can we go to the library?" asked Amelia, eyes lighting up at the thought of spending time in one of her favourite rooms in the house. Not to say that she disliked any of the other rooms, she just loved books and being surrounded by them was pure heaven.

"Sure why not?" agreed Carlisle, "Why don't you head up so long? I'll be right up."

Carlisle heard Amelia slowly make her way upstairs. Heeding the advice given to him by both Dr Anderson and Blythe, he dug through the freezer until he found some chocolate mint ice cream. Blythe had brought her a large tub of her favourite ice cream, but he knew that somewhere in the freezer lurked a tub of Haagen-Dazs. Locating it in a completely different drawer, he shut the door, grabbed a spoon and ran up the stairs.

Alair had advised him that food was always a good way to get some to open up. That, and alcohol, however Amelia would never dream of drinking the stuff, nor would he tolerate his 16 year old indulging in such practices either. He had heard from some of his colleagues with older children bemoaning how difficult it was to keep the alcohol from their teenage children. Esme and he were truly fortunate in that regard to have children who were relatively easy going, although a tantrum thrown by one of them could have devastating consequences, unlike his colleagues.

"I brought you some ice cream," he stated, putting the tub in front of his daughter and coming to sit next to her. Amelia's eyes lit up. She had seated herself on one of the couches that overlooked the setting sun. She was sitting cross legged and had wrapped herself up in a blanket. She eagerly took the ice cream from him.

"Thanks Dad!" she exclaimed, opening it up and digging into it. She fell silent as she devoured her way through the small tub and then took a sip of water from the glass that she had carried up with herself. Carlisle smiled - it was a rare occasion that Amelia ate with such a hearty appetite. She would probably throw it up later but she was enjoying eating it and that was all that mattered for the moment. She set it aside and snuggled deeper under the blanket, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" prompted Carlisle. Amelia blushed a deep shade of red. In that moment, he understood what Edward had meant when he had said that he would miss Bella's human traits when she was changed. Watching Amelia, so delicately human, doing something as simple as blushing was something that he would miss. If it were up to him, he'd keep her human for longer, at least until she graduated senior year, but instead she had been cursed with one of the worst genetic diseases that a person could get.

Her body was slowly shutting down because of one tiny genetic hiccup on chromosome number seven. That tiny hiccup had caused a defect in every single cell in her body, resulting in the thick, sticky mucus that was slowly choking her, the exocrine pancreatic failure which in turn had caused her endocrine pancreas to fail and gave her severe nutrient malabsorption and Diabetes, the extremely salty-smelling sweat which smelt so different and which made her very self-conscious, the slow respiratory failure that was shutting down her heart and would ultimately shut down her entire body until it gave up completely.

"I'm scared about what happens next," she began, twisting the blankets around her fingers. Carlisle waited patiently for her to continue, "About the change and stuff."

"What would you like to know?"

"When? I guess I just want to know how much time I have left as a human," she stated, staring at the blankets. Carlisle didn't need Jasper's gift to tell him that Amelia was scared. He did the only logical thing that he could think of, and pulled her onto his lap and held her close. She burst into tears and held onto him, her tears staining his shirt, as the tension and weight of the past week came crashing down on her. He gently rocked her and soothed her while she struggled to get a grip on her emotions.

"Alice thinks it might have to be brought forward to May or June. This setback cost you greatly," he stated when she had calmed down.

"So little time?" she asked quietly.

"Alice has not seen you living as long as September anymore. I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

Amelia nodded slowly, allowing it to sink in. "When do you think you will have to change me?"

"As close to May or June as needed."

"Will it hurt?"

"Which part – the transformation or your last days as a human?"

"As a human. No one's really told me what to expect. No two Cystics are the same, so I'd hate to convince myself that I will die the same way they did."

"I take it you have lost friends before then?"

"There was a whole ward of us in Seattle, we were a group of about six permanents and the odd transient patient. I was the youngest at eleven, Bruce was the oldest at 23. He died from complications after his lung transplant. We were so optimistic when he got his transplant. We really thought that he was going to make it. He got an ICU superbug. It happened so quickly. Jodi died about two months later. She was so ill, and they didn't think she'd make the night but then they found her a donor and her family decided to try for the transplant anyway. She died while the lungs were being transported to the hospital. Then there was Anton, he took his name off the list and went home. He passed away nearly a year later," Amelia paused to collect her thoughts. Her friends, so many of them, all gone.

"Then there was Abigail. Abbs was just so amazing. She had this real zest for life. She'd always speak of what she would do when she got her new lungs. She got them actually, but she had a massive haemorrhage the next day. They saved her, but she died about a month later when she had to go under anaesthesia for some procedure – she never made it off the table. Lastly there was Candice. I got a phone call when I was in New York saying that she was gone. She got some infection."

"I am sorry, Amelia. That is horrible."

"What can I expect?"

"Your muscles will start to weaken and waste away. It will hurt, and as those protective layers are lost, things like sitting down for long periods of time will become painful for you. Walking will be difficult. Your breathing will worsen. You will suffer immensely, more than you currently are."

Amelia was silent. Her head was downcast and she blushed. Carlisle figured it out almost immediately.

"It's already beginning, isn't it?"

"Yes. It hurts already, but I figured it was just a side effect of the cocktail of medication that I am on."

"I was thinking of seeing how things go. I'll be honest sweetheart, none of us are going to be able to watch you suffer more than you currently are."

"Ok, so May it is then. Pity, I really wanted to finish sophomore year."

"Perhaps we can make a plan with the school to let you write your exams earlier than everyone else."

"What will you tell the townsfolk when I 'die'?"

"We will tell them that you passed away, keep you indoors and move away later. The basic plan is to use your 'death' as an excuse to leave, say that we could not stand to stay in the house in which you died anymore and move no later than December. Esme doesn't want to uproot you too soon, she wants you to settle down and feel like you belong if I could phrase it that way."

"Makes sense. The transformation – does it hurt?"

"Yes. It will be very painful, Amelia. I can drug you into high heaven beforehand but you will burn off the morphine very quickly and it will be three days of excruciating pain before your heart finally stops beating and you will become one of us. Your eyes will be red, but will turn yellow like ours with the animal blood diet. You'll be incredibly strong, stronger than Emmett even, and probably quite wild."

"Well at least you're being truthful there I guess," she sighed. It was time to speak freely.

"Are you considering changing your mind again, Amelia?" asked Carlisle gently. She glanced up at him and shook her head. "There is more to this than just a chat about immortality, isn't there?"

Amelia nodded and took a deep breath. "What will I look like?" she whispered, "I don't want to be ugly like this for the rest of eternity."

"You are not ugly at all Amelia, you are beautiful!" exclaimed Carlisle, catching her face with his hands and forcing her to look at him, "I know you don't feel like it right now, but you are truly stunning, both inside and out."

"You're looking at me like a father does. Dads tend to skip over the negatives. Take a good look at me, through the eyes of a teenager," she begged.

Frowning, he tore his gaze from hers and glanced at her. He understood what she meant suddenly. Her disease had left its toll on her body. Years of poor breathing had given her a barrel chest deformity. When he hugged her, it was like hugging a rock. Her face was puffy and swollen – the characteristic moon face of someone on long-term heavy doses of corticosteroids. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles and her hair was starting to fall out in large clumps. She was unhappy with how she looked, she was a self-conscious teenage girl for crying out loud. He gently ran his fingers along her spine, and was horrified to feel her vertebral column sticking out far more than it should. She was thinner than Bella was just before she gave birth to Renesmee.

"Did Bella tell you how she was changed?" he queried, changing tactics.

"I know it had something to do with Renesmee but she has never elaborated further."

"She was dying when she gave birth to Renesmee, yes. When you look at her now, would you ever say that she was as thin and sickly as you were before she was changed?"

"No," whispered Amelia, hope flickering across her features.

"You will look even more beautiful than you do now," he reassured her.

"Will I be able to breathe? I don't want to be attached to an oxygen line for all eternity."

"You won't have to breathe. You will be able to do everything you can't do now, and more."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Wow. Just going back to Bella, I take it she was human when she had Nessie?"

"Yes she was. That is how Renesmee was conceived. Vampires cannot have children."

"That's why Rosalie was bitter for such a long time," nodded Amelia, "she told me."

"So you will never have children I am afraid."

"I can't anyway, so it's not that big of a deal. So I won't have to worry about getting my period when I'm immortal?"

Carlisle looked away awkwardly. Had he been human, he would surely have blushed. He nervously cleared his throat. "No Amelia, no menstrual cycle."

"Cool beans."

"Is there anything else you want to know? Now is the time to ask. Privacy is hard to come by as a vampire. I kid you not, our hearing range extends about a mile radius from this house," stated Carlisle, desperate to move away from the awkward topic of feminine bodily things.

"Will I be alone?"

"What do you mean, alone? We won't abandon you if that is what you mean. Of course, if you decide to leave then we will not stop you, but we will never leave you."

"I mean like a partner. A boyfriend or husband or mate or companion or whatever phrase you choose."

"Oh. I believe that there is someone for everyone."

"I don't want to be like Edward was for so many years. He was alone for nearly 90 years, it bothered him."

"That it did. Your mother and I were so worried about him."

"How do you know when you have found the right person though?"

"It's difficult to explain. You feel like your world revolves around one person, and one person only. You'd do anything to protect him or her, they are your anchor."

"How did you know with Mom?"

"I knew when I first met her when she was 16. Somehow, she knew as well and I am fortunate that I was in the right place at the right time to save her," Carlisle's voice held nothing but fondness as he thought of his wife, the light of his life for the last 80 odd years.

"Do you think there is someone out there for me, someone who will love me for who I am?" Amelia's voice held a note of wistfulness, and some other emotion that Carlisle couldn't quite place.

"There is someone out there for you Amelia, he, or even she if it feels right, is out there waiting for you. You are a wonderful person, and believe me when I tell you this, you will be exceptional when you become one of us."

"But I'm damaged goods," she whispered so quietly that had Carlisle not been immortal, he would not have heard her.

"I do not ever want to hear you describe yourself like that ever again, Amelia. Are we clear?" he reprimanded gently. She was finally opening up to him and he didn't want to scare her off.

"It's the truth," she said quietly, staring into space.

"No, it is not," countered Carlisle firmly, tightening his grip on Amelia so that she could not flee if she wanted to. This conversation had suddenly taken a serious turn, and there was no way they were not going to discuss it now.

"Who in their right mind would ever want me?"

"Rosalie and Esme went through something similar and they have both found peace with Emmett and myself. I'm not trying to say what happened to you was any less horrible, for lack of a politer description, but you were a child. They were adults. Fear is natural, but you cannot allow it to define you for the rest of your existence."

"But the thought of doing it is so repulsive."

Carlisle took a deep breath. This was becoming kind of awkward. Here he was at the ripe old age of 364, almost 365, and about to have the birds and the bees talk with his terrified 16 year old. Well, this ought to be interesting. He needed Esme to come to his rescue, like right now. He didn't know if he could handle this. He was a man, not a woman. This was something that one of the girls should be tackling. Not that he was incapable of it, but this was a sensitive topic. How do you begin to broach it with a young girl who associated the very act with nothing but horror, repulsion and abuse? He felt a stab of anger towards the monsters who were responsible for his daughter's crippling fear.

"Amelia, there will be someone who loves you anyway, and that person is your mate. It is one of the purest forms of love. There are no boundaries, no limits. The only obstacles are the ones that you allow to be put in the way."

Before Amelia could reply, he could hear someone approaching the house at vampire speed. That person ran into the house and remove their shoes and running up the stairs, before knocking softly on the door. Amelia glanced up in fear.

"It's just Mom," called Esme. Carlisle glanced at Amelia, raising his eyebrows. She nodded.

"You can come in, Es," he said. The door opened and Esme slowly walked in, shutting it behind her.

"The others are still playing," she said softly. Amelia nodded. She came to sit next to Carlisle on the couch and opened up her arms. Amelia crawled into them and Esme held her close, glancing questioningly at Carlisle.

"Alice told me that I was needed back here. The pack joined us, so Leah and Embry are umpiring the game now. It has brought us a few hours extra," she explained, too low for Amelia to hear.

"She's afraid of being alone like Edward was, but equally afraid of being intimate. I am afraid that I may be delegated the task of the birds and the bees talk."

Esme nodded thoughtfully, her brow creasing as she frowned in uncertainty of how to broach the sensitive topic. She too felt a tremor of rage run through her veins as she thought of the foul humans who were capable of such atrocities against children.

"It will be ok, Amelia," she began, following her instincts, "do you know how scared I was on my wedding night after I had married your father?"

Amelia glanced up and shifted in Esme's arms, leaning her head against her chest. Esme automatically tightened her grip on her daughter, and then glanced briefly at Carlisle, asking for permission. He nodded and settled back to listen.

"I was terrified, to put it mildly. I was so afraid that I would do something wrong. I was so sure that I was damaged goods and utterly useless. But your dad was patient, and gentle and unbelievably sweet. He was willing to wait as long as it took for me to be ready, and the poor man would probably still be waiting if that is what I needed. But I was also desperate for a new memory, a pleasant one, not tainted by the horrors of what I endured. I do not have a single regret about that at all."

"Poor Dad, potentially still be waiting to get some," said Amelia, sounding remarkably like Emmett.

"Seriously uncool," agreed Carlisle playfully, relieved that the conversation had finally taken a more cheerful turn.

"When you find your mate, Amelia, he will be willing to wait for as long as it takes for you to be ready. It's in our very bond to be like that. And if he doesn't, I will cheerfully decapitate him because he is clearly not good enough for my baby girl," smiled Esme, gently tapping Amelia on the nose.

"Unless he is a newborn," muttered Carlisle.

"Newborn, as in young vampire?" queried Amelia.

"Yes. Newborns wake up in one of two frames of mind, either thirsty for blood, or extremely, shall we say, lustful," stated Carlisle awkwardly.

"Horny?" asked Amelia, raising an eyebrow and grinning evilly.

"Yes, that word is, uh, applicable."

"So I will either be a nymphomaniac or a blood thirsty lunatic?"

"Lunatic is a little harsh, but yes, that is the general picture."

"Does it ever get better?"

"As time goes by, yes." Carlisle would have been tomato-red by now had he been capable of blushing.

"Except for Rosalie and Emmett. I had to build them a house away from ours in the end, they were too much to handle. Took about a decade or so," chimed in Esme innocently. Carlisle quickly realised that his wife and daughter had decided to gang up on him and make this conversation as awkward as possible.

"Really?" said Amelia in amazement, playing along.

"Remember when you woke up a few weeks ago and thought there had been an earthquake?"

"Yes... That was Rose and Emmett?"

"Yip."

"Whatever you do, please do not use them as role models," begged Carlisle, standing up and walking to the door, grabbing Amelia's empty ice cream container on his way out. It was time to make a hasty escape from this conversation. His wife and daughter's minds had not just taken a trip to the gutter, they had apparently booked a five-star hotel in one and were intending on staying a couple of days, "no sex for you until you're at least a century old, young lady!"

With that, he exited the room. Amelia and Esme glanced at each other and burst into laughter. After they had finally composed themselves, Esme hugged her daughter.

"Feeling better now?"

"Yes thanks, Mom," replied Amelia.

"On a more serious note, what made you change your mind and decide to become immortal again?" Esme asked curiously. It had been on her mind a lot lately.

"When you told me that Alice saw me dying. I realised then that I couldn't bear to put any of you, but you in particular, through that amount of pain. I finally have a family, and while my heart still beats, I will not have it all taken away from me," she stated truthfully. Esme's eyes filled with tears and they embraced again.

"You are the best thing that has happened to me in this existence, Amelia," she stated firmly.

"You are the best thing that has happened to me," she agreed, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart, more than you will ever know."


	54. Chapter 54

"You're starting to recover at long last, Amelia," stated Dr Westsmythe, removing the stethoscope earpieces from his ears and hanging his stethoscope around his neck. Amelia offered a tired smile in response. She was in Dr Westmsythe's office for her daily check-up, one of the many terms and conditions of her extremely early release from hospital a few days ago.

"That is wonderful news," beamed Esme.

"Just a couple more days of IVs and then you're good to go," broke in Carlisle, knowing that it would make Amelia smile. She did perk up a little bit, but nothing could erase the obvious dark circles under her eyes. She had had a bad few nights – little sleep and lots of coughing, some of which ended with Amelia throwing up. Had Carlisle and Esme been human, they would have had to endure all those sleepless nights as well, and attempt to function the following day, as Amelia did. As it was, it pained them both to witness Amelia being so ill and being able to do so little about it.

"Sounds good," she yawned widely, blinking sleepily.

"May I take Amelia home?" asked Esme, observing just how tired her daughter was.

"I think that would be best," agreed Carlisle.

"I take it she hasn't been sleeping well?" queried Dr Westsmythe, observing the teenager who was already halfway asleep.

"She's barely slept the last few nights. The antibiotics are doing their job, but the side effects are horrendous."

"I can scarcely imagine."

"Dad?" a quiet voice spoke, knocking at the door.

"Come in Daniella," called Dr Westsmythe. The young teenager quietly opened the door and poked her head around. Blythe was with her.

"Hey everyone," she greeted, holding a piece of paper in her hand, "Dad said you'd be here today. I just came to give this to you, Mrs Cullen. There were talent scouts, for lack of a better term, at the Spring Concert, and they invited a few of us to take part in a junior musician competition in Seattle. We got notified today by Ms Monteverdi. The winner gets to play as a soloist with the Seattle Philharmonic at Benaroya Hall, and the chance to go to watch a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Amelia was one of the students they selected. They were very impressed with her piece."

"Daniella also got invited," broke in Blythe, nudging her friend proudly.

"So did you, Blythe. I'm sorry you cannot be part of it though," said Daniella, wistfully.

"Thank you, girls," said Esme warmly, "we'll chat to Amelia about it later. Do we let Ms Monteverdi know if Amelia is going to be involved?"

"Yes please. The details are in this flyer, but Ms Monteverdi has said that should you have any questions, feel free to contact her directly. She's put her email address and other contact details on it for you. How is Amelia?" Daniella replied, glancing at her friend who was now asleep on the examination bed.

"She's getting better," stated Carlisle, gently pushing Amelia's hair out of her face as he did so.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Daniella sincerely, "please send her my regards. I know she's too ill for company, but tell her I miss her, please."

"We will," said Esme. She was fond of Amelia's friends – they all seemed to genuinely care for her. Even Steven Smith, the senior who had been so unkind to Amelia on her first day, cared for her. He had phoned the Cullen home twice already and had come to see her while she was still in hospital. Even although he had not been allowed to see her, Esme could see that he cared deeply for the young girl, and following Amelia's request, had forgiven the boy who had been a prize turkey on that day in the cafeteria, and was now her unofficial bodyguard when she was at school.

"See you tomorrow, Blythe," said Daniella, turning to leave, "have a happy afternoon, everyone."

"Ready to go, Blythe?" asked Esme.

"Yes. Can I help you with anything?" queried Blythe.

"We're all good here, thanks," replied Carlisle, who was in the process of waking Amelia up again so that they could get her to the car. It would be easier to carry her, but they did need to remain conspicuous after all. Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe placed a now half-awake Amelia in the wheelchair and the Cullens and Blythe left the office, calling a farewell to Dr Westsmythe. Amelia was asleep again before Esme had even strapped her into her seat. Carlisle waved them off as the Mercedes pulled away – he still had to finish work and would not be home for a couple more hours.

"How was school?" queried Esme, glancing at Blythe who sat in the passenger seat next to her.

"It was pretty good as far as school goes. It's a little boring repeating everything, but it is in English for a change so it's a little more stimulating than studying in German. I have some work for Amelia. I've requested that all the teachers keep her homework, with the understanding that as soon as they are completed, I bring it to them."

"Thank you, Blythe, we appreciate that greatly."

"It's no problem, Esme. I'm just sad that I will be leaving next weekend. I'm going to miss you all so much."

"We will miss you too, Blythe. You are always welcome here, and our offer still stands."

"Thank you Esme, you have given me a chance to be a part of a family, something that I have not experienced in a very long time, but at present, I will respectfully take a rain check on that. Ms Monterverdi sends her regards, by the way. She misses her star pupil."

"Carlisle and I are thinking of withdrawing Amelia from Forks High School and I take over her education," stated Esme, biting her lower lip thoughtfully.

"She is simply too ill to return," stated Blythe quietly, "pardon me for the intrusion, but is withdrawing her from school a good idea?"

"How so?" queried Esme, slowing down the car to turn off the highway.

"She cannot return to school fulltime - that much is apparent. You have spoken to Amelia about that already and she has accepted it. But to completely withdraw her from the school? I really don't know about that, Esme. I do think it would be good for her to go in occasionally, even if it is just for a test or assignment submission. I suppose one could view it as studying via correspondence, rather than full-on home schooling. But chat to Mia, see what she thinks. I know she likes school, even if it is hard for her with her ill-health."

"We will do that," promised Esme, "what did you mean when you said that you could not partake in the music competition?"

"It's not open to exchange students. I technically should not have played at the concert but Ms Monteverdi said I could if I wanted too, and the orchestra did need an additional clarinet player."

"That's unfair."

"It isn't actually. It's open to all students who attend school in Washington. I do not. It's not right that I partake in it. Besides, the thought of competing does not really excite me. Amelia may be interested. We aren't forcing her to go, but she may want to. The competition is on Tuesday in Seattle. We leave the school at 6.30am. The entire music department is going as an outing, even if we are not playing. The competition is at Benaroya Hall as well. It's going to be a lot of fun."

"We can chat to Carlisle and Amelia about it later and sort out the logistics. Technically, Amelia is not supposed to be out and about yet, she's only been out of hospital for a few days, but perhaps we can make a plan."

"I'd like to go, but I think the question is whether or not I am allowed to?" stated Amelia, taking a bite of her dinner and groaning in appreciation, pointing at her food and giving Esme a thumbs up. She was sitting with Blythe, Alice, Carlisle and Esme at the dining room table.

"I see nothing happening to you while you are there," stated Alice. Amelia nodded and swallowed.

"We'll give you a break from your IVs as well," stated Carlisle. Amelia cracked a smile and cheered quietly.

"What does Dr Westsmythe say?" she queried softly. He continued to treat her as a child, still trying to convince her that a transplant was not a bad idea, and should at least be considered. It irked her, but she held her tongue out of respect to her parents, although she desperately yearned to tear a chunk out of him.

"He has yet to be informed," said Carlisle carefully, "although Daniella has told him about it and he does not think that going to the competition is the ultimate solution as you can well imagine."

"I can imagine so, yes," she replied, "what time do we need to leave on Tuesday?"

"The bus will leave school at 6.30am," said Blythe, smiling at Amelia.

"Gracious," she muttered.

"We plan to book into a hotel nearby the night before, it'll be easier for you," stated Esme, speaking for the first time.

Amelia nodded thoughtfully. "That ought to simplify matters," she replied, "what music do we play, Blythe?"

"We have the choice of our Spring Concert solos or a different piece. Most people will be playing their solos because of the short notice. The orchestra will also be competing against a few other schools, so we'll be replaying the Rachmaninov and The Final Countdown, and Ms Monteverdi wants to do Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks as well. I've got the music here for you, we will be having a rehearsal on Sunday afternoon if you feel up for it."

"Sounds like a plan," nodded Amelia, glancing at her parents for permission. They nodded in consent.

"Just wear a mask on Sunday please," said Carlisle.

"We'll be watching if that is alright with you. I'm worried about leaving you alone," stated Esme.

"That's perfectly fine with me," agreed Amelia, smiling. She couldn't wait to play with her friends again.

After a quick shower, Esme heard Amelia tuning her Stradivarius. As exhausted as she was, she had played it as often as she could. Passing that violin on to Amelia was definitely best decision Carlisle had made. Amelia was smitten. The others had gone out to hunt so it was just the two of them left at home. Esme made her way upstairs to her daughter's bedroom, knocking softly on the door.

"You're allowed to come in, Mom," Amelia called, "fancy a performance?"

"That will be delightful. What am I being treated to tonight?" said Esme, walking into Amelia's room and sitting on the bed. Amelia was sitting on her desk chair, music stand in front of her. She was too exhausted to stand up and play.

"Handel's _Music for the Royal Fireworks_. I tried to tackle my homework but I didn't get too far with it. My brain is too tired. Music ironically requires less concentration for me."

"I would have thought it required more."

"I think I just have a musically-inclined brain. Besides, I might have played the piece before," she said innocently, beginning to play the piece. Esme settled back and allowed the music to wash over her. Amelia's brow was furrowed in concentration as her bow flew over the strings. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of Amelia playing, sending it to Samantha.

"That was brilliant, Amelia," clapped Esme when Amelia was finally done playing.

"Why thank you, Mom," she smiled, taking a bow, "it sounds so beautiful on the Stradivarius."

"It really does. Are you going to play on the Stradivarius on Tuesday?" Esme was a little concerned about attracting attention to the family. A decorated Stradivarius, whose absence was often pondered in articles, in the hands of an ailing sixteen-year old was bound to attract attention. Amelia was busy packing it gently back into its case. She zipped it up and moved it next to her bookcase.

"I was thinking I shouldn't. I did a little research of my own. I assume that I am holding the elusive eleventh decorated Stradivarius, correct? Most of them belong in museums, aside from that one violin that no one has seen since the turn of the 18th century. Legend says that it was purchased by a traveller who left Italy shortly afterwards and has since been lost," she said, coming to sit next to her mother.

"To a pile of dust in the basement, yes," she chuckled, wrapping an arm around Amelia.

"When your family is immortal and astonishingly good looking, and you're pretty distinctive yourself with your sexy oxygen line, standing up at a music competition and playing on a Stradivarius is a recipe for conspicuousness. Getting into the spotlight, especially with me supposedly going to die, is not the best idea. Should I even be performing at the competition?"

"We see no harm in allowing you to perform, Amelia. We just have concerns about your state of health."

"I should be alright."

"I really hope so, Amelia."

"Me too, Mom, me too."

"So tell me about when you first played the Handel. Was it at school in Seattle?" Esme's voice was gentle.

"No, it was at the children's home. Our home was right next door to a retirement home so I'd go and practice there sometimes. My greatest fans were all well into their eighties. Half of them couldn't even hear me, but they all loved it when I would come over. The home had an upright piano and one of the residents, Mrs Rollins, used to play with me. It was our special time together. She used to play the violin too. It is from her that I received most of my sheet music. She'd call me over to play for her and help me when I struggled with certain pieces. She even visited me in hospital once. She was very frail, and she couldn't move around much, but she would phone me every day when I was admitted. She was so lovely, it was so sad that her family never came to visit her."

"What happened to her?"

"She passed away in her sleep about three years ago. It was very peaceful. I played for her that day and she told me that I would go very far in life with my musical talent. I'd always joke with her that when I joined her in heaven, we'd play until the cows come home."

"She sounds like a lovely person," smiled Esme.

"She was very special. Bree couldn't hold a tune to save her life but she had the most amazing drawing talent, so she'd always join us. Mrs Rollins kept all of her sketches. I had the rest, they are in my closet. We often needed a break from the other kids. I had to start keeping my violin in the office to prevent it from being damaged."

"That doesn't sound nice."

"It wasn't. Hey Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Can I go to Bree's burial site please?"

"We didn't exactly bury her," said Esme, trying to figure out how to broach the topic gently.

"I know, but I'd like to see where she died. And burial site just sounds so much politer than site-where-Bree-died."

"Perhaps when the weather is a bit better and you're healthier?"

"Dr Westsmythe is going to freak about me going to the competition, isn't he?"

"Most probably," Esme chuckled wryly.

"Pity," muttered Amelia sarcastically.

"Indeed," agreed Esme.


	55. Chapter 55

"Hey guys! Mia's back!" called one of the orchestra members, spying Amelia as she entered the high school auditorium with Blythe on Sunday. Her friends crowded around her, delighted to have their friend back. Carlisle and Esme walked into the auditorium after Amelia and went to sit near the back of the hall.

"Hey everyone," smiled Amelia, in good spirits because she could once again do the thing she loved the most – play her violin with her friends. True to her word, she was wearing a Vogmask to prevent herself from inhaling any airborne pathogens that might give her another infection. Alice had gone the whole hog and ordered several of them to coordinate with her outfits. The beauty of them was that they came in a wide range of colours and styles, and would provide protection from all things airborne, including pollution, better than a standard surgical mask could. Today's mask had a cute purple floral design on it, matching the purple sweater she was wearing.

"It's good to have you back, Amelia," said Ms Monteverdi, ushering everyone into their seats and giving Amelia a quick hug, "even if it is just for a little while."

"It sure is good to be back," stated Amelia. On Friday morning, she had had a chat with her parents and Dr Westsmythe. That talk had later transpired into a meeting between her parents, Principal Greene and her teachers. In short, she was going to study via correspondence, going in only to write tests and submit assignments. Esme would take over her education based on the work she was doing in class so that she could finish off her sophomore year. It was hoped that she would be well enough to write exams, and her teachers were willing to push her final exams forward and she write sooner than her classmates if needed.

Carlisle and Esme were hoping that it would not come to that, as they did want Amelia to remain human for as long as possible, if only for her sake. It was a slippery slope of highs and lows, but Amelia was stubborn and determined to drag out her human life as long as possible. Rosalie and Emmett were backing her up, and even although it pained them, Esme and Carlisle had agreed, although it would be difficult to watch her suffer through the end stages of her disease.

"Alright guys, I want to start with the Firework Music overture, seeing that it's the piece that everyone is the least familiar with. Then we will move onto the _La Réjouissance_ movement," stated Ms Monteverdi, calling everyone to order, "Gabriella, could you play an A for us?"

The familiar sound of the oboe playing the A note filled the hall, and Gabriella quickly tuned her oboe to the correct pitch, before the rest of the orchestra tuned their instruments while she played the same note over and over. At Ms Monteverdi's signal, they started to play, albeit a little shakily at first. Amelia was the only one who had missed the week's practices, but she caught on quickly and managed to keep up with the others.

About five minutes into the piece, she started coughing. She struggled to stop it from interfering with her playing, but she eventually stopped altogether and slumped against the chair, trying to take deep breaths. She stood up and put her violin on her chair, before grabbing her concentrator and moving away from the orchestra. Ms Monteverdi caught her eye and raised an eyebrow, miming the words 'are you ok?' Amelia flashed a thumb up gesture as she walked away. Carlisle and Esme hurried to her as she doubled over, coughing badly. Carlisle removed the vogmask and handed her some tissues, smacking her back to help dislodge the phlegm. When it was over, her cheeks were bright red.

"Are you alright?" queried Esme, placing an icy hand on Amelia's cheek.

"Yes I am," she said as she exhaled heavily, "I'm going to head back and finish the piece."

She walked back to her seat and picked up her violin, easily picking up where they were and continuing playing like nothing had happened. Carlisle and Esme made their way back to their seats and continued to observe the orchestra practice, keeping a close eye on their human child, who sat behind the principle violinist in violin I and was totally immersed in her music.

"That was great, everyone," stated Ms Monteverdi, "let's just go over the ending again. Everyone play from bar 151, please."

The orchestra started playing again and got the ending spot-on. Carlisle and Esme clapped for them, much to the rest of the orchestra's amusement. They then proceeded to play the _La Réjouissance_ movement, a much shorter piece dominated by the trumpets. It was appropriately named, as it was indeed a delightful and joyous piece.

"I don't get why Handel composed six movements to this piece, and makes the overture the longest. Overtures are like _never_ the longest movement," piped up one of the cellists, Chloe, once they had finished that piece as well. She was obviously the principle cellist, dressed in her senior jersey and hair intricately braided. She reminded Carlisle of Alair. The others giggled.

" _Menuet I_ is the shortest movement, it barely even clocks 45 seconds," broke in Daniella.

"I don't know what Handel was thinking, Chloe, but then again I can't answer for our dear friend Pachelbel either," teased Ms Monteverdi.

"I love the _Canon in D_ , but it sure is hell to play on the cello," groaned Chloe, pretending to hit her head repeatedly in frustration on her music stand.

"It is the bane of our existence," piped up another cellist in amusement, tying her hair up in a bun.

"Keep this up ladies, and I _will_ make you play the _Canon in D_ on Tuesday," threatened Ms Monteverdi jokingly. The entire strings section groaned, the cellists the loudest of all. The woodwind, brass and percussion sections snickered. "The philharmonic version," she continued, smirking at those sections. They too groaned. "Pansies!"

* * *

The orchestra revised the Rachmaninov and _The Final Countdown_ , before taking a quick break and redoing the Handel pieces. They were very excited about the upcoming trip to Seattle. Only a few school orchestras had been invited to partake in the competition and they considered themselves to be fortunate, but they were anxious too. Their orchestra was tiny compared to other schools, particularly those in Seattle. The Seattle schools had been in a competition already to select the best orchestras to partake in the Benaroya competition. They had been invited so had no idea what they were up against, but were determined to make the most of it.

"Alright everyone, I will see you all tomorrow morning at 7.30 for a quick rehearsal, then at 6.20 on Tuesday morning! The bus leaves at 6.30 sharp, if you snooze you lose! Please do not forget your instruments. Yes Matthew, I am looking at you. No saxophone, no playing!" called Ms Monteverdi, dismissing them with a flick of her baton. Carlisle and Esme went to discuss finer details and technicalities regarding Tuesday with Ms Monteverdi, while the orchestra packed away their instruments.

"Let's go watch the football practice," suggested Shannon, who played the trombone. Amelia glanced to her parents for permission.

"Esme says it's fine," whispered Blythe. Amelia stuck her beanie on her head and dressed up warmly, before following the rest of the girls out to the football field. They climbed onto the bleachers and observed the team practice. Some of them were now openly gawking at some of the players.

"Check his nice butt," sighed Chloe, cocking her head and watching one of the senior boys parading around with the ball.

"There's Steven Smith!" squealed Daniella excitedly, pointing to one of the boys. Amelia barely recognised him with all of his gear, but his jersey had his surname printed on it.

"Ooooh!" called Shannon, giggling, "do you like him, Dan?"

"No, you silly billy! He likes Mia!"

"Huh?" asked Amelia stupidly. There was a shout of laughter from the group of girls.

"Oh come on, Mia. He's called you and tried to visit you in hospital. The boy is smitten," stated Daniella, eyes waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"No ways!"

"I've overheard him mentioning that he likes you," stated Chloe nonchalantly, pursing her lips in concentration as she glanced at the sickly teenager, "He got annoyed with one of the seniors who made some stupid comment because he made you a get well soon card."

"Speaking of, thank you for all the cards. I really appreciate it," smiled Amelia.

"You're welcome," grinned Shannon, leaning down to give Amelia a hug, "it's good to have you back. Will you be coming in tomorrow?"

"No. I'm basically going to study via correspondence now. School is just too hard. My mom's a pretty neat teacher so she's going to help me and the teachers are going to keep my homework for me. I'll obviously go in for tests and assignments and anything else that needs to be graded, but otherwise I'll be staying at home, sleeping late, not having to worry about classes, eating whenever I want to," she said, playfully making her friends jealous.

"Oh, so you think you're too cool for school?" Blythe raised an eyebrow, pretending to sulk, "I'll have to tell Principal Greene!"

"At least I'm not leaving the country on Saturday and abandoning my friends," retorted Amelia, sticking her tongue out. The girls collapsed into gales of laughter.

"Oh my gosh here comes Steven!" shrieked Daniella, jumping up and down on the bleachers. She really reminded Amelia of Alice. The boy in question was striding towards them, along with a few others. Practice had clearly just ended.

"Why hello handsome," drawled Chloe, looking him up and down as he approached. He waved at the girls and they responded in kind, some more enthusiastically than others, "aren't you yummy?"

"Chloe!" howled Shannon, bursting into laughter.

"Hello ladies," he greeted, dumping his bag on the bleachers and smiling at Amelia, "it's great to see you again, Amelia."

"Likewise, Steven," she crinkled her eyes, realising that the mask covered her face so he couldn't see her smile.

"Nice mask. I assume that would be Alice's doing? I recall she was very fashion-conscious when she was at school. Everything matched. She had a great sense of style," he smiled at the memory and came to sit next to her.

Amelia blushed and nodded. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that about Alice, except the last time it was in ICU while her dad was teasing her about flashing her underwear to the rest of the ward. She had not been impressed at the time. Shannon coughed loudly to disguise her laugh.

"I think my dad is here," stated Daniella hurriedly, grabbing her violin case, eager to give her friend some privacy.

"I thought you drove here?" queried Chloe, grinning evilly.

"Oh yes I did," Daniella smacked her forehead, "silly me. I must get home though. I promised my little brother I'd help him with something. Bye everyone!" She hurried away. Amelia blushed even more, way to go Daniella.

"Bye guys!" said Shannon, grabbing her trombone and running after Daniella, "wait up Dan!"

"Blythe, can you walk with me to the auditorium? I think I left my sheet music there," stated Chloe, picking up her cello and climbing down the bleachers. See you guys."

The pair left, both smirking over their shoulders and laughing at the look of horror on Amelia's face as they too abandoned ship. Amelia turned to face Steven, who smiled sweetly at her. She was alone with him. In that moment, she wanted to cheerfully murder her friends for leaving her alone with a boy who potentially had a romantic interest in her.

"So Amelia," he began.

"Mia," she corrected, shyly.

"Mia," he smiled at her, "how are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks," she stated, "Thank you for the phone calls and for trying to visit me, it was really sweet of you."

"Anytime. You gave us a scare there. We were worried. But it is wonderful to see you again."

"Likewise," she replied, biting her lip and feeling her face heat up.

"I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie with me some time?" he blurted out, blushing as well. Amelia suddenly realised that this was as awkward for him as it was for her.

"I'm afraid I can't just yet, Steven. I don't really enjoy going out where people can see me and stare at me," she stated. When his face fell, she hastened to reassure him, "perhaps we can watch a DVD at my house instead?"

"That sounds great!" he perked up again, all smiles again.

"Emmett has an extensive DVD collection, and I just got some new DVDs for my birthday. I'm sure we can find something to watch."

"Speaking of your birthday, happy belated birthday. I have a gift for you, but it is at home. I was going to give it to Blythe on Thursday if I hadn't seen you. Will you be in at all this week?"

"You really shouldn't have!" Amelia chastened, "But thank you very much. I'm not planning on coming in at this point. You can give it to me when we watch our movie."

"Sounds like a plan," he smiled easily, but frowned when he saw her shiver suddenly, "it's getting cold. Are your parents here or do you need a lift home?"

"My parents are around here somewhere. They were talking to Ms Monteverdi the last time I saw them."

"Let's get you back to them. We don't need you to get sick again," he stated, helping her stand up and taking her violin case so that it was one less thing for her to carry. He helped her down from the bleachers and the pair took a slow walk to the auditorium. Amelia spied her parents making their way to the car with Blythe. He walked her to the car and greeted her parents, before handing Amelia her violin and bidding her farewell.

She waved at him as he put his things in his truck and drove out of the parking lot. She got into the backseat and buckled in, a small smile playing on her lips. She was a million miles away. Esme nudged Carlisle and the pair glanced in the rearview mirror at Amelia. Blythe stifled a giggle. Amelia was in love.


	56. Chapter 56

Esme could hear Carlisle pacing up and down in his study. The others had all gone out for the afternoon. Blythe had joined them. Amelia was taking a nap before afternoon physiotherapy. Just the three of them remained at the house, and Carlisle was clearly bothered by something. She climbed the stairs, and entered his study, greeted to the sight of him scribbling something down on a piece of paper that he held in his hands.

"What on earth are you doing, Carlisle?" queried Esme mildly. She was a little confused by his behaviour as it was so unlike him to be so unnerved.

"Devising a speech to give young Mr Smith," he muttered, pen racing across the paper.

"Why ever would you need to do that?" Esme was surprised.

"Because it is my fatherly duty," retorted Carlisle, emphasising each word with a pen stroke, pausing to glance up at Esme when she burst into laughter.

"So what, are you going to read him the riot act or something?" she laughed, "Carlisle, he's just a teenage boy, not Amelia's life partner."

"My point exactly, he is just a teenage boy. With wayward hormones and thoughts and he is a quarterback too!" Carlisle glared at the wall with unnecessary venom, as though Steven's position on the football team made all the difference in the world, "I want to know what his intentions are towards my daughter. I've never done this before! I changed Emmett for Rosalie, and Alice and Jasper came to us as a mated pair already. There was never a need to give this fatherly speech," he threw his hands into the air in exasperation.

"Aren't you overthinking this just a little?" asked Esme, raising an eyebrow.

"What? No!" he exclaimed.

"Come on, Carlisle. You're the one who keeps saying that Amelia needs to live a little. They are watching a film at home, not going out for dinner in Port Angeles. We will all be there, listening in. What is the worst thing that could happen? He holds her hand?"

"What if he tries that cheesy arm-stretch manoeuvre midway through the film?" he thundered, horror struck that the teenage football player might even try to touch his daughter, let alone look at her.

'Aww, is someone becoming all protective over his baby girl?" cooed Esme. Carlisle glared at her.

"Darn right," he sulked. Esme stifled a giggle and walked over to where her husband was standing, enfolding him in her arms.

"Carlisle, she's 16 years old, not six. I really don't think you need to worry about her so much. You are overthinking this."

"What if he tries something?" he asked, getting himself worked up even further.

Esme outright snorted. "Do you really see Amelia allowing things to progress beyond holding hands? This is our teenage daughter we are talking about. Have a little faith," she stated, giving him a kiss to shut him up.

"But Amelia-"

"Will be fine. Relax. She hasn't even set a date yet."

"But what if she wants to kiss him?"

"Then she kisses him. So what?"

"So what? So what?" he exclaimed, "have you ever heard of Infectious Mononucleosis? Cold sores?"

"Carlisle!"

Esme started laughing again. Once again, her husband was making her laugh. He looked so bewildered and almost scared. Esme felt a stab of sympathy towards him. At 364 years old, he was completely and utterly out of his depth, and he was so unsure of himself.

"Just relax. Everything is going to be fine."

Carlisle's lower lip jutted out. His baby girl was growing up so fast. Yesterday, she was a sickly kid, today she was in love with a quarterback. Part of him was happy to see her looking so bonny and alive, but the more dominant and overprotective side of him overrode everything. This was his little girl they were talking about after all.

A soft knock at the door sounded. "Come in," Carlisle called. Amelia entered the room, wiping the sleep from her eyes and blinking.

"Dad, if you want me to cancel, I will," she stated, leaning against the doorframe. Her hair was all messy from sleeping. She looked so innocent and fresh faced in that moment. She anxiously twirled her oxygen line around her fingers.

"Did we wake you up?" asked Esme softly, going to the door and leading her daughter into the room. She sat down opposite Carlisle's desk and pulled her teenage daughter into her lap, cuddling her close.

"It's ok. It was time for me to wake up anyway," she yawned.

"No Amelia, do not cancel your 'date'," Carlisle emphasised the words with his fingers, "I don't want you to do that." It was true. As protective as he was being, he did actually want her to have fun. The realisation took him by surprise.

"Are you sure? You seem so, I don't know, unsure," Amelia trailed off.

"It's just me being your overprotective old dad," said Carlisle, moving from behind his desk to give his daughter a hug as well.

"Are you seriously going to ask him what his intentions are?" she queried uncertainly.

"Yes Amelia. It is my duty as your old man to give these sort of speeches."

"It's time to get the shotgun out," stated Esme teasingly.

"I'll be conveniently cleaning it when he arrives," muttered Carlisle, leaning against the desk and observing the two females sitting before him.

"Da-ad!" Amelia groaned, horror-struck.

"Would you rather have me or one of your brothers doing it?"

Amelia had a brief mental image of Emmett staring Steven down, flexing his arms subtly so that they bulged, while Jasper invoked feelings of utter terror and Edward glared at him through narrowed eyes. She then recalled watching Rosalie pick him up single-handedly on that fateful day in the cafeteria, threatening a painful beheading and subsequent dismemberment. She didn't put it past her eldest sister to follow up on that threat, and there was no doubt that Rosalie would enjoy the satisfaction it brought her while she did it. She shuddered.

"So long as it's not Rose, I don't care who it is. Please go easy on him, Dad. I like him."

"You really do?" he asked in a mixture of shock, horror and irritation. Never mind, he couldn't stand the snot-nosed quarterback anymore.

"Yes Dad. I like him, sort of in love with him," she paused at the thunderstruck expression on Carlisle's face. Had he been capable of blushing, he would probably have been puce with annoyance. Esme tightened her grip fractionally on Amelia and glared at Carlisle. She had a suspicion that this conversation was about to take a serious turn. "Dad, it's not like that."

"You are in _love_ with him?" he thundered, eyes turning black. That was never a good sign. Esme felt Amelia shrink back against her.

"Dad it's not like that."

"Carlisle," Esme's voice held a note of warning.

"I don't care! You are not going to date that boy!"

"Dad would you please just-"

"Amelia Grace Theodore, you are not to date him! I don't care about his redeeming qualities. He was mean to you on your first day at school. He is nothing but trouble!"

Amelia felt a stab of pain. She glared at Carlisle, eyes ringed with hurt. She jerked herself out of Esme's arms and stood up.

"You're clearly not interested in discussing this in a civilised manner, _Father_. No, you will hear me out!" she put her hand up when he opened his mouth to protest. She was trembling with barely-disguised anger. He shut his mouth with an audible snap, jaw clenched, and crossed his arms menacingly. One look at Esme's face told him that he would be in for it later. His daughter was defending herself, and making up for lost time in doing so.

"Stop being so ridiculous and stubborn and childish, and open your darn eyes. It's a movie, not the rest of my existence. In case it escaped your notice, I am freaking dying. I know better than to embark on a relationship. He deserves far better than that. I am allowed to have a _harmless_ crush. Honestly, this conversation is over," Amelia's voice was calm, a deadly kind of calm that neither of her parents had ever heard her use. Her words were deliberate and controlled, her fists clenched and jaw now locked.

She walked out of the room, and was tempted to slam the door, but though better of it for her mother's sake. There was no point in hurting Esme, she'd done no wrong. Amelia walked back into her bedroom and shut the door, sinking down against it. She started crying softly to herself. Her dad just didn't get it. She shuddered to think what he would be like when she was immortal.

In the study, Esme was glaring at her husband. She was speechless. They both cringed as they heard Amelia start to cry.

"You had better fix this, Carlisle. How could you?" she bit out angrily. It took a lot for Carlisle to rile Esme up to the point where she was well and truly mad with him. Now was one of those moments.

"She is just a child!"

"No she is not, and the sooner you realise that, the better!" she yelled. She too stood up and left the room, angry beyond words. Thankfully the others were not home, but no doubt Alice had seen this. They were most likely on their way home. She took a deep breath and knocked quietly on Amelia's door.

"Amelia sweetheart, can I come in?" she called. She received only a sniffle in response. She could hear Amelia's shaky breathing and her quiet sobs. It broke her heart. "Please, Amelia," she begged.

"Okay," she whispered, shifting her body weight so that Esme could enter the room. She sat next to her on the floor, putting arm around her shoulder and pulling her daughter closer to her. A fresh wave of tears fell.

"What did I say or do wrong?" she sobbed. Esme rubbed reassuring circles on her back, allowing her daughter to cry.

"He's just being protective because he loves you and doesn't want to see you get hurt," soothed Esme, "even if he's going about it the wrong way."

"But why? I like him, Mom. Is that such a crime?"

"I do not know what your father's problem is, Amelia," she sighed.

"Yes, I have a romantic interest in him. But I am sick, and soon enough, I'll be dead to the population of Forks. I can't hurt Steven like that. It's just a crush. I didn't think it was that big a deal. All I ever wanted was Dad's approval. I guess I'm nothing but a disappointment to him."

At Amelia's words, Esme felt a stab of anger. How _could_ Carlisle hurt his daughter like this?

"Your dad will come around. I know he is mad right now, but he is proud of you. You are anything but a disappointment to him, I promise," she soothed, "when are you planning on seeing Steven?"

"Quite frankly, I want to call the whole thing off if this is how Dad is going to behave."

"Don't be silly, sweetheart. He'll be on his best behaviour. I will personally remove him from this house if it comes to it."

Just then, Carlisle knocked on the door. Amelia stiffened and yelped quietly.

"Amelia, may I have a word?" he was still angry.

"No Dad, please just leave me alone," she cried.

"Amelia stop this!" he demanded. Gone was his usual cool, calm and collected demeanour that he usually radiated. He was pure vampire now. That irrational, primal side to him that very rarely made an appearance was showing through now, at the expense of his youngest child. She was absolutely terrified of him at that moment, and the small part of him that realised this was being beaten into submission by the sheer feral nature of his emotions. The only time he ever got mad like this was when his mate was threatened and all hell would inevitably break loose as he sought to eliminate the threat. Apparently the bonds that ran between father and daughter were far deeper than either of them had comprehended.

"Carlisle, get lost," stated Rosalie, walking up the stairs. The others had arrived home.

"She needs her physiotherapy," he snapped, hammering on the door. Amelia whimpered in fear, and fought against the bad memories that threatened to resurface. The last time someone had hammered on her door like that... No, it was just her dad. He wasn't going to hurt her, was he? But as the hammering continued, Amelia realised that she didn't know who, or what, her father had turned in to, and it scared her. She didn't know what an angry vampire was capable of, and she wasn't about to find out. She wrenched herself onto her feet, and ran into her closet as quietly as she could, hiding herself within some clothes.

"Stop it right now, Carlisle. You're scaring her. You screwed up really badly this time. Leave her alone. I will take care of her physiotherapy. Go and hunt, and get control of yourself."

Jasper could feel the fear radiating off his little sister and grabbed Carlisle by the arm, dragging him with him. Carlisle allowed himself to be dragged away, guilt hitting him like a ton of bricks. As he left the house, Amelia's pitiful cries echoed around him, until they faded completely. He sighed deeply and jumped across the river. He'd only wanted to protect her, but instead, his vampire-strength instincts had kicked in and he'd only successfully pushed her further away from him. He punched a tree in frustration, and sped off to hunt.


	57. Chapter 57

"He's gone, Mia. He won't hurt you," whispered Rosalie, slowly walking into the closet that Amelia had hidden herself in. She spied her little sister sitting between her clothes, hugging her knees to her chest, sobbing openly. She bent down and picked up Amelia, holding her close. Amelia wrapped her legs around Rosalie's waist and buried her face in the side of her sister's neck as Rosalie straightened up and brought her out of the closet and into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, and Amelia crawled into the corner of it, where two walls met and sat with her back against it. Esme joined them, she too was shaken by what had just happened.

"Esme, I think you should maybe hunt as well just in case," stated Rosalie. Esme looked understandably upset at the prospect of leaving Amelia alone, but realised that there was little else she could do except allow Rosalie to take care of her younger sister.

"Don't go too far, Esme. I'll call you if we need you. There's a herd of deer about ten miles out. Jacob says it's alright if you take a shortcut across the Quileute land, Leah's going to meet you and run with you, if that's alright with you," said Alice. She was in the kitchen, flicking through a cooking book, wondering what Amelia would like for dinner. Esme nodded and glanced to Amelia for permission.

"It's fine, Mom. Go and hunt," she whispered. Esme kissed her forehead and left her eldest and youngest daughter in Amelia's room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Rosalie kindly.

"Dad flipped out because I have a crush on Steven Smith," murmured Amelia, a fresh wave of tears falling down her face. Rosalie handed her a tissue and opened her arms wide. Amelia crawled into them willingly, desperately needing a hug.

"Steven Smith, huh?" asked Rosalie, keeping the malice out of her voice. It was no secret that she didn't like him, but out of respect to Amelia, she'd hold her tongue. Now was neither the time nor the place to launch into a tirade of how much she despised the boy.

"Yeah," she sniffled miserably, "he asked me out to watch a movie sometime after orchestra practice this afternoon. I turned him down because there is no way on earth I will be up for a movie, so I asked him if he wanted to come over here instead. Emmett has such an extensive DVD collection that we will surely be able to find something to watch. And he bought me a birthday present too. I know he was rather nasty to me on my first day at school, but Rosie, he really feels bad. He's become such a good friend."

"I know, Mia. He's phoned here a couple of times, even tried to visit you in hospital. I dislike him, but he has earned my respect because he does genuinely care for you. What did Carlisle say?"

"It started off alright, he was devising a 'fatherly speech' to give Steven. It's all my fault! I told Dad to go easy on him because I really like him, I'm actually kind of in love with him, and it went downhill from there. Then he started yelling at me and he wouldn't let me explain and I ran. Then I heard Mom yelling at him and now everyone's just so angry and it's all my fault. I should have just kept quiet about the whole thing!" Amelia sobbed loudly. Alice joined them.

"It's not your fault, Mia. Carlisle is being an idiot," stated Rosalie.

"Yes he is. You did nothing wrong," chimed in Alice, coming to sit on Amelia's bed.

"But now Mom and Dad are fighting too," she howled.

"They will sort it out. They always do. Their fights never ever last long. Before you know it, you'll be listening to them-"

"Alice!" Rosalie broke her off, glaring at her and shaking her head in obvious disapproval.

"As long as they will be ok," murmured Amelia, anxiety eating away at her like scavengers, "I'd hate for them to be fighting because of my stupidity."

"You're not stupid. Carlisle is just being overprotective to the extreme. I've never heard him go off quite like that before, aside from that time that Esme was threatened," mused Alice thoughtfully, going into a vision and snapping out of it almost immediately, "he's already feeling dreadful about it."

"Good," replied Rosalie, annoyed with the man she considered to be a father because he had hurt her little sister deeply.

"Rose," chastened Amelia softly. She was exhausted.

"You need your afternoon physio, Mia-bug," she stated, moving to pick Amelia up and take her to Carlisle's office.

"Rose, don't," said Alice, putting her hand on Rosalie's arm to stop her. Amelia started shaking, unable to bear the thought of going anywhere near Carlisle's office at that moment. Rosalie put Amelia down and went to get everything she would need for physio instead.

* * *

One thorough chest beating later, Amelia had a nice long soak in the bathtub, stretching out her big toe to activate the hot water tap as the water cooled down. After nearly an hour, she waltzed into her bedroom and into the closet, looking for some comfortable pyjamas. She got the fright of her life, nearly dropping her towel, when she found her mother in her closet, holding up a clean set of pyjamas.

"Hey Mom," she said. She offered her mother a weak smile, and received an equally sad one in return. Esme was visibly upset and Amelia felt so guilty knowing that she was the cause of it. If only she had kept quiet, she could have spared all of them this heartache.

"Hey sweetheart," she replied softly, unsure if Amelia would tolerate her giving her a hug.

"She's not upset with you Esme, she's worried about you," called Edward. Renesmee was fortunately blissfully unaware of the afternoon's events and had thrown herself into Esme's arms when she had returned from her hunt. The pair had spent a good few minutes together on the couch before Esme had heard Amelia pulling out the plug from the bath and had run upstairs to help her daughter. Amelia pulled her towel tighter around herself and gazed at her mother, equally unsure of her. Esme simply opened her arms up and Amelia hesitantly walked into them, bursting into tears when she felt her mother's arms encircle her frail body, barely noticing the coldness. Esme felt her heart break and she too began to dry sob, both so relieved that if nothing else, they were still alright. The pair sat that way for a while.

"I think it's time to get you into some pyjamas," stated Esme, loosening her grip on the human. Amelia tightened her grip on her mother, unwilling to let her go.

"No, don't let me go, please," she begged quietly.

"You're going to catch a cold, angel. Let's get you warmed up and then we can sit like this for the rest of the evening, okay?"

Amelia nodded and allowed her mother to help her get dressed. Esme then picked her up and carried her down the stairs, seating her at the kitchen island.

"How does crumpets sound for dinner?" she asked.

"Yes please!" called Renesmee, bounding into the kitchen and taking a seat next to Amelia.

"I agree," stated Leah, walking into the kitchen as well. She had accompanied Esme home after the hunt, concerned about her young friend. The girls exchanged a quick hug.

"Sounds good," confirmed Amelia, nodding at her mother and standing up to help her.

"Are you alright, Aunty Mia?" queried Renesmee, "you look sad."

"Do I really, Nessie?" she replied mildly, trying to buy herself some time and desperately hoping that either Bella or Edward would come to her rescue.

"When Aunty Mia gets tired, her eyes go all puffy and red," stated Leah, smoothly entering the conversation and side tracking the small girl.

"It's true," she confirmed, nodding when Renesmee turned to look at her.

"You should go to sleep earlier," the small dark-haired girl told her seriously.

"Yes, she should," agreed Esme, mixing all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Amelia turned to the sink and discreetly wiped her eyes and took a breath to compose herself. Esme gently squeezed her arm in reassurance. Jasper was having a hard time trying to control Emmett, who wanted to scoop his beloved little squirt up in his arms and make everything better. He too couldn't stand Steven Smith but seeing his little sister hurting like that made him tempted to drag the quarterback over to their house just to see a smile light up her face.

"Lazy Sunday dinner coming right up," stated Esme some time later, shooing the human and half-human out of her way. Renesmee obediently sat down at the island, having tried to 'help out' her grandmother, and achieving little else but crumpet batter on her sweater and smeared across her face, while Amelia rummaged through the medicine cabinet for headache tablets.

"Second shelf, in the blue box," called Alice.

"Thanks Ali," replied Amelia, locating the box and taking two tablets out, then replacing it and grabbing her medication for the evening.

"Come and eat, sweetheart," said Esme, dividing up the crumpets into three equal piles and plopping each pile on the girls' plates. Amelia took her place and started to eat. Her appetite was non-existent, despite how amazing the crumpets smelled. Leah and Renesmee quickly devoured their stack, sneaking in an extra one of Amelia's when Esme wasn't looking. Of course she knew they had done it, but let it go just this once.

"Nessie, you are excused," said Esme, seeing that Renesmee was starting to fidget. Bella and Edward wanted to take her home. The trio left soon thereafter, leaving Amelia staring glumly at her food. Esme washed the dishes, barring Amelia's plate, which still had half a stack of crumpets on them. When that was done, which didn't take long even at human speed, she leaned against the sink and watched Amelia eat. She began to drum her fingers on the countertop in impatience. When Amelia wasn't hungry, she could really drag it out. Amelia noticed this and tensed up.

"Three more crumpets and then you can leave the rest," bargained Esme. Amelia nodded and took out three, then packed the rest away and stored them in the refrigerator.

"Let her eat them over the course of the evening. She will eat them, but right now she needs a break," stated Rosalie, coming into the kitchen and rescuing Amelia. They tried to watch a programme on the television but everyone, Esme and Amelia in particular, was just too distracted by the day's events. Something deeper than just the argument between Amelia and her father was bothering her and she refused to be separated from Esme for the rest of the evening, curling up in her lap, head resting against Esme's chest and their hands entwined. She stared blankly into space for most of the evening. Emmett tried to coax Amelia into playing her violin for them, but she declined, something she almost never did.

True to her promise, Amelia eventually did finish off her dinner, before slowly trudging up the stairs to her room to try and get some sleep. Esme found her staring at two of the photo frames that took up residence on her bedside table. A third had recently been added – one of herself and Bree taken shortly before Bree had been turned. How Alice had managed to get hold of it was not something Amelia was going to question, though it probably had something to do with a trip to Seattle that had kept Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett out of the house for over a day.

"Which one is that?" asked Esme, entering Amelia's room. Amelia jumped and looked guilty as she tried to hide the one she was holding. Esme held her gaze.

"My _biological_ parents," she sighed softly, stuttering slightly over the word, handing her the photo frame. Esme took it in her hands and smiled gently.

"You sure were a cutie," she stated, taking in the image of three year old Amelia sitting between her biological parents, with a small black dog perched on her lap. She looked so happy, so innocent. Esme felt a pang of sadness as she realised that she had never seen Amelia as truly happy as she was in that picture.

"This was taken on my third birthday," Amelia said softly, tears running down her cheeks again, "they died three weeks later."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's okay to miss them," soothed Esme. She knew that Amelia missed her parents. Amelia never spoke of them, whether it was because her three year old memory could barely conjure up a memory of them, or because she was fearful of hurting her parents by mentioning them, Esme in particular, the Cullen matriarch did not know.

"I really do miss them sometimes. It's less now that I am here, but before I met you, I missed them something awful. I'm sorry for being such a bad daughter, Mom."

"Amelia, listen to me. Missing them does not make you a bad daughter. They are your parents just as much as we are. It's natural to miss them. It doesn't bother me, if that is what concerns you. If you didn't think of them, I would be worried."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Tell me about them," encouraged Esme, eager to learn about the couple responsible for bringing her daughter into the world. Part of Esme was sad that Amelia had lost her parents at such a young age, but another part of her was just so grateful to have the young teenager as part of the family. Life without Amelia was incomprehensible, and all of this had happened because Carlisle decided to attend a conference that fateful week.

"I remember very little of them. My mom's name was Abigail, and my dad's name was Christopher. Mom was a musician, as you know, and I believe my dad was a lawyer. I really can't be sure, but I seem to remember going to the courthouse in Seattle a few times with my mom to visit him. We lived in a house, and we had a Scottish Terrier, called Jemima. She had this pink collar. Scotties are notoriously indifferent to human affection but Jemima was my shadow. Mom used to sneak her into my hospital room because we missed each other. She had this trick where if you put your head on the ground, she'd nibble on your ears and lick them like crazy," Amelia smiled fondly at the memory.

"I do not know what happened to Jemima, but I never saw her again after the accident. Perhaps someday I will do some research. I'd like to know more about my parents, where I came from. I have no recollection of grandparents, or aunts and uncles or any family at all. It was always just the three of us. I know my mom played for an orchestra, I can't tell you which one though. I remember sitting in the audience playing with my doll and listening to their rehearsals. I remember trying to play with them once but of course I was terrible. I got a round of applause that day," Amelia chuckled at the foggy memory. She replaced the photo frames on her bedside table.

"Is Jemima the reason having a Scottish Terrier is on your bucket list?" asked Esme, a plan forming in her mind.

"Yip," said Amelia.

"How old would Jemima be now?"

"14. She was a present for my second birthday. I doubt she is even alive. I found her collar when I was packing up my things when I got put into care."

"Where is that collar now?"

"Here," Amelia reached up and unclipped the pink collar from its designated location around her beside lamp and handing it to Esme, "I should probably stick it in the washing machine. I could never bring myself to clean it. I like to think that it still smells like her. It's all I have left of her."

"Do you want a puppy?" Esme asked. She could hear Alice squealing in agreement, Emmett booming his reply, followed immediately by the pair bickering about what breed to get. Jasper sounded hesitant. Rosalie didn't see the point.

"Me specifically, or everyone?"

"You specifically."

"I don't think that is such a smart idea, Mom. A puppy requires hours of training and attention, which right now, I cannot provide. They chew everything, including oxygen lines. And what if I hurt her when I become one of you?"

"We can help you out with the training and the like."

"That's not fair. A puppy would be my responsibility, and I take my responsibilities seriously."

"What about an older dog? There are lots of old dogs looking for homes to live out their last few years."

"Mom, please. I don't need a canine companion at present," she said firmly, her heart breaking. Of course she would love a puppy, but it wasn't fair on either of them.

"I know you like dogs, I saw how Daniella's dogs practically throw themselves at you when they see you. Have you ever considered being a vet?"

"I don't think I could cope when the dogs die. It's bad enough watching a dog die in a movie. Imagine if I had to euthanize one?" she shuddered.

"Why don't we take a visit to the dog rescue group? There's one in Forks. There are puppies that need fostering, and all sorts of dogs that just want some love and attention. That can help pass the time. I see how happy you are when Daniella's dogs are all over you. Canine therapy helps boost morale."

"I'll think about it, Mom."

"Good. Let's get you into bed, shall we?"

"Ok," said Amelia, allowing her mother to tuck her into bed. Esme kissed her on the forehead and left the room, flipping off the light switch as she did, and walked down the stairs.

* * *

"What do you think the chances are of finding Jemima?" asked Esme, putting the collar down on the coffee table in front of her other children.

"Slim to none," stated Rosalie, nose wrinkling at the sight of the collar, "we have the wolves, there's an entire pack of them down by La Push who I am sure would love to be a dog for Amelia."

"Take a hike, blondie," stated Leah, coming into the lounge and sitting with them.

"You can roll over and let Mia scratch your tummy," retorted Rosalie. Leah stuck her tongue out at her. The pair grinned at each other. There was no malice between the two anymore. Those days had long since been left behind.

"I reckon we can only try," stated Leah, eager to help, "Alice, do you see anything?"

"Nothing as yet. We can try looking on Tuesday when we go to Seattle. Somewhere, there must be a record of what happened to Jemima after the accident," stated Alice, a plan starting to fall into place.

"Perhaps we should start with Amelia's social worker, and find out who the executor of the Theodore family's will was. It's a start," said Jasper.

"Sounds like a plan. Jemima was black, with some brindle colouring on her back paws and a white stripe down her tummy," said Emmett. Amelia had told him this once when she and Emmett had watched a TV programme about dog breeds.

"Esme, you'd better get upstairs and sit with Amelia. She's going to have an ugly nightmare and you need to wake her up before it starts."

Esme needed no further coaxing, and raced upstairs to awaken her daughter, who frowned sleepily at the intrusion.

"Is Dad back yet?" she asked sleepily.

"Not yet. Alice reckons it'll be a few more hours. He'll be back in the morning."

"I need to talk to him before he goes to work."

"He's taking the day off, sweetheart. Hush sweetheart, get some rest now," she soothed, as Amelia cried again. Every time the teenager thought of what had transpired that afternoon, she burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"Please don't go," she whispered.

"I promise," stated Esme, allowing Amelia to cuddle close. She fell asleep a few minutes later, soothed by her mother's presence. As she watched her daughter sleep, Esme hoped that her husband and daughter could sort their differences out. She'd hate to see either of them hurt.


	58. Chapter 58

**AN -**

 **I debated long and hard about whether I should upload this chapter or completely rewrite it. It was difficult to write, and I wonder if it was a good idea to write it at all. I have thrown caution to the wind and will publish it as it stands. Please don't hate me for it. I left hints at Amelia's past throughout the book but this is probably the most in-depth it has ever gone, and will likely ever go. I think she has been bottling up her memories for too long and it is time for her to let them go. It takes on a tone similar to Amelia and Carlisle's chat a few chapters back, so read with caution if you were upset by that chapter.**  
-

Shortly before dawn, Esme heard the sound of someone approaching the house. The person's footsteps gradually became more distinct. It was Carlisle. Esme felt a pang of relief. As annoyed as she was with him, she loved him dearly and always felt lighter when he was around. That being said, never had she heard him walk with such defeat in his step. He and Esme were the two vampires in the house who never particularly bothered with completing tasks at vampire speed, such as running up the stairs, opting to go for a more leisurely human pace. The exception of course was whenever Amelia was involved. Microseconds made all the difference in the world when someone was chronically ill.

She heard Carlisle pause as he reached the garden, stopping in his tracks. Esme suspected he was staring at Amelia's window and trying to brace himself for the fallout that was about to ensue. She heard him take a deep breath and slowly, wearily, trudge his way up the steps and enter the house. Leah had long since gone home. Esme didn't need Jasper to tell her that Carlisle was shattered. She could practically feel his anguish as he entered the house. Rosalie and Emmett were in their room, cuddling by the sounds of things. Jasper was in his, ready to intercept any problems and calm any frayed nerves. Amelia was still fast asleep in Esme's arms. She had had a very disrupted night of sleep, frequently waking up after being plagued by some or other nightmare.

Alice and Blythe were quietly chatting in the living room, apparently finalising a plan for the trip out to Seattle that was meant to take place that day. If it came to it, she'd drive Amelia and Blythe there herself. Blythe was going to school until lunch time, before Esme would pick her up and the four of them would make the long trip out to Seattle. Alice and Blythe called out a soft greeting to Carlisle, as did the rest of Esme's children. He slowly made his way up the stairs and entered their room.

"Hello Esme," he whispered, hearing Amelia was still asleep.

"Hello Carlisle," she whispered in return, mindful not to disturb the sleeping teenager that was curled up next to her, the crown of her head lightly resting against Esme's hip, and one of her hands tightly gripping her mother's. Even in sleep, she had a strong enough grip that if Esme tried to detach her hand, she'd wake up. Carlisle sighed, and Esme heard him stripping off his clothes and turning on the shower. Already the scent of maple and leather, the scent so uniquely Carlisle, was wafting into the room. In spite of her irritation with him, she felt soothed by the familiar scent. Amelia was stirring, being the early riser she was. In spite of her rough night, which would ensure that most of the trip to Seattle was spent sleeping, she was cheerful when she snuggled deeper into the blankets, dragging her mom with her for some quality cuddle time.

"Your dad is home," stated Esme, hesitant to wreck the moment. Carlisle had turned off the water. Any moment now, he'd be dressed and ready for a discussion.

"Better get it over and done with then," murmured Amelia, in what she hoped was a tone of nonchalance. She didn't fool her mother. A knock sounded on the door and Amelia shuddered briefly as she observed the contrast between the soft tapping of the present, and the hammering of the previous day. Esme squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, before opening the door and allowing Carlisle in. She kissed her husband, then left the room. This was something that the two of them needed to sort out in privacy, well, as much privacy as a family of vampires could ever hope to achieve. Amelia and Carlisle stared at each other awkwardly. Alice flitted into the room with a cup of tea and left it next to Amelia before departing the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"Hello, Amelia," greeted Carlisle, unsure of himself.

"Dad," she nodded in response, "would you like to have a seat?"

Carlisle nodded and sat down next to Amelia. She made herself comfortable and grabbed her teacup, determined to wake up enough to actively participate in this conversation, and really hoping that they could have a rational conversation without coming to blows again.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," stated Carlisle, "yesterday got out of hand, and I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you like I should have."

"Why?" Amelia's voice came out little higher than a whisper, "Why, Dad? I don't understand what went wrong."

"The thought of someone loving you the way adults love each other... I don't know, Amelia, it just hit a raw nerve."

"It's one sided, Dad. He doesn't feel the same way. I'm in love with him, yes, but it's a school girl crush. But beside that, why does it bother you that someone may love me the way you and Mom love each other, or Ali and Jazz, or Rose and Em, or anyone else?"

"Because no one will ever love you enough," stated Carlisle confidently. Amelia's brow crinkled and she busied herself by taking a sip of tea and swallowing thoughtfully. Carlisle realised that it was a bit of an insensitive comment and rephrased it, "no one will ever be good enough for you in my eyes, Amelia. You're my baby girl. You always will be."

"You're my adopted dad. I used to think that there wasn't any kind of love that came close to rivalling the love that a parent has for a child. But you all have shown me otherwise. I have never doubted my place in this family in the time I have known you, never doubted that all of you love me, but I cannot help but see how you and Mom love each other, how the others love one another. Dad, is it so wrong that I want to be loved like that too?" Amelia burst into tears at that point, burying her face in her hands, and Carlisle hastened to scoop up his daughter into his arms and hold her tight. For the umpteenth time since the previous afternoon, he berated himself for the anguish he had caused his daughter. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he felt relief course through his veins as his youngest daughter threw her arms around his neck. He eased her fragile body into his lap and held her tight as she cried once again.

"I thought you hated me," she wept, "I was so scared."

"I could never hate you, sweetheart. I will always love you, nothing will ever change that," he stated firmly, placing a soft kiss on her tear-stained cheek. Watery green eyes met golden eyes that once were a cerulean blue.

"I thought you were going to hurt me when you were banging on my door," she confessed quietly, brushing away her tears with the back of her hands. Carlisle passed her a tissue and she blew her nose.

"I would never hurt you, Amelia. I hope you know that," his tone gentle.

"I know, but I got caught up in my memories, I guess. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I'm sorry I hurt you too, _bella Mia_. You didn't deserve that."

Amelia took a deep breath and coughed, bracing herself for the outcry that would erupt when she spoke again. Carlisle sensed that she was going to speak her mind about something, and smiled encouragingly. He hoped that Amelia would open up. He would be the first to admit that he had behaved like an idiot and hurt his daughter deeply, but he also knew that there was something deeper than just his actions that was upsetting her. Esme had picked up on it as well when Amelia had refused to be separated from her mother the previous evening. She too wondered what Amelia was going to say. Alice's face was carefully composed, Jasper's too. Rosalie and Emmett joined the trio in the lounge. Blythe chewed her lip nervously.

"One of my foster fathers used to hammer on the door like that when he...required my services," Amelia whispered. Back in Rochester, she had told her parents the bare minimum about her ordeals, figuring that what they didn't know couldn't hurt them. She kept her thoughts blank when Edward was around and made no decisions to tell anyone to keep Alice out of the loop as well. She was also realising quickly that unless she came completely clean, she'd never fully heal. She took a sip of her tea in an attempt at readying herself.

"I always tried to hide in the closet. It had a false back to it, so I could literally hide behind it. It wasn't the cleanest, but it was the safest. Some days, I was fast enough and he'd give up looking for me. Other days, I was not so lucky. I learned quickly that it was easier to give in to his demands than pay the price later. Paying the price was always...more painful, and more, shall we say, unpleasant."

"Amelia, what did he do to you?" Carlisle kept his face blank so as not to scare off his daughter. He knew that she had been raped by one of her abusers. But she had glossed over the details, determined to keep those memories tied up in their neat boxes in her memory. All Esme and Carlisle had ever gotten out of her was that a few of her homes had been abusive, some physical and emotional, one both physical and sexual. She had told them enough to make them realise that she was, in her own words, damaged goods, not that her parents would ever see her in that manner. Her memories were her own, and whilst she had let a detail go here and there, she'd never openly confessed the whole thing.

"Will I lose my human memories?" she asked suddenly.

"Some of them will fade with time, yes. The newer memories are the ones you will retain the longest, the older ones will be harder to recall. Eventually, you will forget most of your past, except that which you cling on to. Everything you want to remember, write it down in a journal."

"I don't want to remember this," she murmured, "I don't want to remember what he did."

"Do you want me to get Edward?" he asked her. She was stalling. Perhaps if she showed her memories to her 'eldest' brother, he could ease the burden on her.

"No, it's fine. I need to do this. Gordon Warwick-James – where is he now?" she asked, knowing fully well that her brothers had done the research and tracked down every last abuser on her list.

"Plot 259, Keithfield Cemetery, Seattle," recited Carlisle from memory, "arrested for creation and distribution of child pornography, solicitation and multiple counts of rape of minors. We compared records, and noted that you were removed from his care as soon as he was named a suspect. He was arrested and formally charged two days later, sentenced to several life imprisonments with no chance of parole. He was shanked two months into his incarceration."

"So he's dead," she stated flatly.

"Very much so."

"Excellent."

"The court manuscripts stated that all of the children in the tapes were identified except for one. She was subjected to the most abuse, but they suspected she was one of his first victims as she was always alone. She was estimated to be about six or seven years of age. All of those children were questioned, but they could never identify who she was either," he ventured. Perhaps he could get her to open up this way.

"Five."

"Pardon?"

"She was five," she whispered, looking at Carlisle meaningfully before averting her eyes and staring at her hands again, "and she wasn't one of his first. She was his last."

"Oh God, no," Carlisle gasped, suddenly putting two and two together, "that was you?"

Amelia stared at her hands and nodded slowly. Carlisle was frozen in his spot. He had read the transcript of the tape, had been horrified at the details of such a heinous act caught on film had provided. That poor unidentified girl, known as Jane Doe, was subjected to hours of gang rape, and other acts that not even dominant/subordinate relationships dared venture. She was five – a mere child. The physical damage that had been inflicted on that fragile, tiny body made his inner surgeon cringe in horror. The emotional damage was another matter entirely, and he was horrified to realise that his daughter had suffered in silence for ten long years. Part of him wanted to reincarnate that psycho and kill him himself, the other part of him wanted to hold her close and reassure her that no one would ever harm her again.

He decided on the latter, and the moment his daughter was back in his embrace was the moment that the proverbial dam broke, and little over a decade of carefully hidden secrets and memories boxed away came tumbling down. Carlisle found himself dry sobbing as well, weeping for his daughter, for the suffering she had endured, for the innocence and youth so cruelly snatched from her. In the lounge, Jasper fell to his knees, unable to cope with the pain that Amelia was finally letting go. Esme was frozen as well. Alice sat next to Jasper, holding him up. Blythe and Rosalie were sobbing in each other's arms. Emmett was trying to comfort them all. Then the screaming started, and Amelia began lashing out. She was angry at the man responsible for hurting her – angry didn't even begin to cover it. Then the pain overtook again, and she sobbed even harder than before, all of the fight leaving her body. She wanted her mother. She needed to feel safe again. In her mother's embrace, no one could hurt her.

"It's not psychosis, she's fine. Let her get it out of her system," gasped Jasper, realising that everyone was poised for a repeat of Amelia's birthday incident. The crying grew louder as Carlisle descended the stairs with Amelia in his arms.

"Esme, she needs you," he stated simply, transferring his daughter into Esme's arms.

"He's gone, sweetheart, he will never harm you again. It's okay, it's alright. I love you. Hush now my baby girl, you're going to be just fine," she soothed over and over again. Carlisle replaced the oxygen lines and snapped the mask onto Amelia's face. As time wore on, her crying faded into weak hiccoughs, before exhaustion crept up and finally overtook her battered body, and she passed out.


	59. Chapter 59

"We're almost here," stated Esme. Blythe nodded from the backseat, and glanced to her right where Amelia was sleeping. After her long crying session that morning, Amelia had slept for quite a while. Carlisle had woken her up a few hours later for physiotherapy and they had then bundled her into the car, fetched Blythe from school and started the long drive to Seattle. She was still in her pyjamas and a dressing gown. They were presently stuck in some light afternoon traffic, and were only a block away from the hotel that they were staying at, which was conveniently located quite close to the Benaroya Hall. Blythe reported that Amelia's orchestra-mates were beyond excited for the following day's concert.

"Should I wake her up?" queried Blythe softly.

"Leave her to rest," spoke Carlisle, glancing at Amelia through his rearview mirror, "we'll wake her up when we are settled in."

"She'll probably be hungry when she wakes up," mused Esme, already planning what she was going to feed her teenage daughter.

"Are you sure you'll have enough food? I reckon you only packed a week's supply in the trunk," muttered Carlisle sarcastically. Blythe stifled a giggle, recalling how she had popped open the trunk to put her clarinet away after school, only to find that Esme had packed everything but the kitchen sink. She had groaned, shut the trunk and merely climbed into the back seat, dumping her backpack and clarinet case on the floor, arching a perfect eyebrow at Esme who looked innocently back at her. Carlisle was too busy laughing to be much help at the time. Now it was Esme's turn to glare.

"You never know _what_ might be in hotel food, Carlisle. Heaven knows what sort of processed garbage hotels dish up these days," she retorted.

"I swear you could feed the shifter pack for three days on the food you brought along," he snorted, shaking his head in amusement.

"So how are you enjoying driving the SUV?" interjected Blythe mildly. Carlisle had ordered an M-Class AMG Mercedes for Esme's birthday, which had unfortunately arrived a week too late. Esme had been driving it around, but this was the first time Carlisle had driven it. Esme preferred to let Carlisle drive on the longer trips, particularly now that Amelia was with them. The fact that a powerful healer was lazing in the backseat next to said teenager was irrelevant. Carlisle briefly wondered how she would cope when Amelia was turned and didn't need round the clock care anymore.

"It's a very smooth ride," he commented, smiling at Esme, "great boot space. I doubt we could have fitted an entire week's worth of food in the sedan."

Esme rolled her eyes and folded her arms, refusing to react to Carlisle's words. He was trying to wind her up in the hope of putting a smile on her face. Peace had been restored in the family since him and Amelia had sorted their argument out, but a heaviness lurked in its wake. The family had literally sat in silence for several hours while Amelia had slept, trying to grasp the enormity of her words. Rosalie had been the first to crumble, leaving the house and running into the forest, Emmett trailing after her while she flattened a few trees. Edward and Bella found out later when they arrived to find the others in uproar.

By this point, Rosalie and Emmett had returned, Amelia's social worker had been contacted, Blythe was at school and Carlisle was contemplating murdering an already dead man. Esme was distraught, so Rosalie and Alice made her help them pack things for the trip to Seattle to keep her mind off the bombshell of a revelation, hence practically the entire kitchen was crammed into the trunk. Somewhere in there were four overnight bags, Amelia's artillery of medication and feeds, a spare concentrator, her nebuliser and her Windsor violin. The Stradivarius was safely in her room at home.

Carlisle brought the car to a stop at the entrance to the hotel. Bellhops immediately rushed to assist them. Blythe couldn't help but laugh when their eyes grew large at the sight of the jam-packed trunk. Esme breezed through the doors to check them in.

"Hey Mom!" called Emmett, bounding into the lobby. Jasper was hot on his heels. They had arrived sooner than Carlisle and the others had.

"Hello Emmett," smiled Esme, walking towards the reception.

"Where's my little squirt?" he boomed, eyebrows knotting when he didn't see his littlest sister.

"Still out for the count, Em," stated Blythe, walking in with her things, "can you grab her from the back seat?"

"Yes ma'am!" he gave a mock military salute and bounced out to the entrance, easily unbuckling Amelia and pulling her out of the car, while putting the concentrator strap on his shoulder.

"Em?" she yawned, waking up and blinking until her world refocussed.

"Hey Squirt," he said softly, smiling down at her, "we're here. I'm taking you up to your hotel room now, okay?"

"Okay Em," she sighed and gave him a sleepy smile, "can you let me down?"

"Sure," he said, depositing her on her feet and holding her small hand tightly in his own massive, paw-like one and letting her slowly walk towards the elevator. A few people stared at her, whether it was because she was clad in her pyjamas and a dressing gown in the lobby of a five star hotel or because of her obvious illness, Emmett didn't know, and nor did he intend on finding out. He led her to the elevator.

"Wait, where are my things? I need to help out," she asked, moving back towards the entrance in order to help carry a bag or two.

"It's all under control, squirt. I reckon you can leave the suitcases and food to the others. Let's get you upstairs, okay?"

"'Kay," she yawned again, "wait, food?"

"Yeah. Mom packed about a week's worth of food in case you got hungry."

"Esme is worried about the, and I quote, 'processed garbage that hotels dish up these days'," commented Blythe, coming to stand with them and handing Amelia her violin, "She's given me the hotel key. Should I be surprised that we have one of the penthouse suites?"

"Not at all. Rose, Alice, Jasper and me have the other one," Emmett beamed, as they entered the elevator which had arrived "we need our space from all of these humans. Besides, we have lots to do today."

"Really?" asked Amelia, glancing at her watch. It had just gone 3pm.

"Yeah, Rose and Alice are still upstairs looking up a few things. I think they, uh, want to go shopping later," he backtracked quickly after catching a glare from Blythe, trying not to let the cat out of the bag. Amelia frowned at him but didn't question it further, obviously too tired and too frazzled from the events of that morning to really care. The rest of the ride passed in silence as they shot up to the fifteenth floor and got off the elevator, entering the suite. Esme was already there, commandeering the bellhops. Everything was quickly sorted out and Esme led Amelia over to the small island in the kitchenette, making sure she sat down and sorting out some food for her. Amelia ate quickly and waltzed into the bathroom, hoping to take a shower.

"They have white fluffy gowns! Ohmigosh the towel rails are heated! Dude, check the size of this bathtub!" she squealed in excitement, bounding out the room to look for some clean clothes and her toiletry bag. Carlisle and Esme burst out laughing. Next door, the others were laughing as well. Blythe glanced up from her homework and shook her head in amusement.

"Want me to run you a bubble bath?" called Esme.

"I need to wash my hair," replied Amelia, picking up her toiletry bag and popping her head into the sitting room.

"We can wash it tomorrow morning," stated Esme, "we are venturing outside soon so I'd rather keep you warm."

"Okay. Have you seen my facecloth anywhere?"

"It's in a packet in your toiletry bag."

"Got it. Thanks Mom."

"Don't drown in the bathtub," called Carlisle.

"Haha, you are hilarious," muttered Amelia sarcastically.

"It's my most qualifying feature."

"Yeah right," Amelia snorted and stomped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. A short while later, she found herself relaxing in the hot water, covered with bubbles and unwinding from an emotionally-charged day.

"Are you still alive?" Esme called, knocking quietly at the door some twenty minutes later.

"Last time I checked, yes," called Amelia.

"May I come in?"

"It's unlocked."

Esme entered the gigantic bathroom and came to sit next to the bathtub where Amelia was soaking.

"Your dad and I wanted to take you and Blythe to the hall when you are done so that we can see where to go tomorrow," she stated.

"Sounds like a plan. I believe it's quite close?"

"Yes it is. Alice mentioned that you wanted to go somewhere?"

"It's nothing important, really."

"Amelia," said Esme firmly, "where did you want to go?"

"Home," she whispered after a few moments.

"We just got here? Do you not wish to perform tomorrow?" Esme was surprised.

"Home, as in the home I lived in with my parents before they died. It was quite close to the hall."

"Do you want to visit your parents?" called Carlisle, who had moved to stand outside the bathroom door.

"May I? They are buried about a mile away. I used to visit them a bit when I was placed in the home."

"If you got your posterior out of the bathtub right now, Alice reckons we can get all three done by nightfall."

A splash of water, and Esme's quiet "easy there, don't hurt yourself" told him that Amelia had all but jumped out the bathtub. A few seconds later, Amelia pulled open the door and ambled past him.

"These bathrobes are the bomb," she sighed, as she danced off towards her room clad in one of the aforementioned white fluffy bathrobes, "all I am missing is a cigar."

"You are not going to smoke, Amelia!" huffed Esme indignantly.

"Ka-boom," muttered Amelia, in obvious reference to a flame and an open oxygen line, and the combustible properties that the two created.

"Exactly. Ka-boom. Smoking is bad for your health anyway," stated Esme.

"Not to mention that it's the only thing that kills a vampire," replied Amelia drily.

"That too," agreed Blythe, moving to the room as well. Both penthouse suites had a massive bathroom, kitchenette, sitting room and two bedrooms. Obviously Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper were sharing in their suite. Blythe and Amelia were sharing, to both girls' delight. Those two were both going to struggle when they bid farewell to each other on Saturday, but for now, they were spending as much time with each other as possible. Esme and Carlisle were secretly hoping that Blythe remained with them, she had become as much a part of the family as the others, but the brunette vampire was resolute in her decision to remain independent.

"It's cold outside, Amelia. Please put on something warm," said Esme, rifling through the suitcase for something for Amelia to wear. She grabbed a pink v-neck jersey, jeans and some thick socks, as well as fresh underwear and a long-sleeved t-shirt for her daughter to wear and helped her get dressed. She then wound a scarf around her neck, eased her into a coat and stuck a beanie on her head.

"Perfect," she declared. Amelia raised an eyebrow in response and stomped out the room, Esme and Blythe trailing in her wake. Carlisle was already dressed in a coat, ready to tackle the cold weather outside, juggling the car keys in his hand.

"Ready?" he queried. He got three mutters of assent.

"Where are your instruments?" he asked Amelia and Blythe.

"In our room," replied Blythe. He was back in the room before Amelia could blink, holding onto their instruments.

"Let's go," he stated.

"Why do you have my violin?" she asked.

"Don't you girls want to have a final run through of your pieces before tomorrow?"

"I'm not playing a solo piece," stated Blythe, taking her clarinet from Carlisle and frowning. Amelia took her violin and slung it on her shoulder.

"The rules state that you may not be eligible for a prize, but you can still perform regardless. There are a few schools having final run-throughs at the hall today. You're allowed to practice as well if you want."

"Really? That is so awesome!" exclaimed Amelia.

"My solo piece was piano," stated Blythe, shrugging her shoulders and following Esme out the door.

"Alice," stated Carlisle by way of explanation, locking the door after Amelia had exited the suite.

* * *

"Amelia, are you alright?" queried Esme, glancing down at her daughter. Amelia had stopped in her tracks and was staring at her surroundings - the foyer of Benaroya Hall. Suddenly she lurched forwards and deviated to the right. Carlisle and Esme followed her down the corridor that led to the auditorium itself. She stopped in front of a row of photo frames that adorned one of the walls. It showed group photographs of both the symphonic and philharmonic orchestras in the 1980s and 1990s. She found the one she was looking for – 1994. She touched it gently, scarcely able to believe her eyes.

"I've been here before," she stated in bewilderment.

"Amelia?" Carlisle spoke softly, slowly walking towards his daughter. She spun around and gasped when she saw a photograph of her mother framed on the wall in acknowledgement of a prize that she had won.

"Mommy?"

"Sixty Five Roses?" came a deep voice. Amelia turned again, this time an elderly man was walking towards her. His hair was grey and he stood up straight, tall and proud. His voice reminded Esme of a lion, deep and majestic.

"Uncle Simon?" she whispered, scarcely able to believe her eyes. She started walking towards him.

"Oh Amelia," he sighed sadly, but a large smile broke out on his dark-skinned face, "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Me too, Uncle Simon."

They met in the middle, and embraced each other like long lost friends. Both were teary eyed when they separated.

"You look just like your mother did as a young girl," he declared, really taking her in, "she would have been so proud of you."

"I hope so, Uncle Si."

"I see you are still playing. Good. Are you here for the concert tomorrow?"

"Yes, I am performing a solo piece and also playing with my school's orchestra."

"That is good, my Mia. Which composer?"

"Amelia Theodore."

"Amelia _Grace_ Theodore. You were very particular about your second name as a child. You composed your own music? Oh honey I am so proud of you. May I have the pleasure of listening to this piece? The acoustics in the hall are fantastic."

"Of course, Uncle Si. Oh, these are my adopted parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, and my friend, Blythe Casper," Amelia hastened to introduce her parents and Blythe to the elderly man.

"Afternoon everyone. I am Simon Kenneth, President of Benaroya Hall," he introduced himself, shaking hands with the Cullen patriarch, and kissing Esme's hand.

"You really haven't changed, have you, Uncle Si?" muttered Amelia fondly.

"I can see you haven't changed much either, Amelia," he retorted, looping an arm around Amelia and leading her to the auditorium, "neither has the hall which you no doubt remember from your younger days."

"Heavens, it hasn't changed a bit, though I can see you recently gave it a coat of paint," she said with a smile as she took in the enormous hall.

"How have you been, little one?" asked Simon seriously, guiding her into a seat, "we worried tremendously about you after Abi and Chris died. Peter fought so hard to get you into his care. Are these people treating you well?"

"Uncle Peter did that for me?"

"He is your godfather, Amelia. The courts refused to allow him to foster you. It nearly killed him to have to let you go and live with strangers. I don't think he has ever gotten over it. Please do hang back after your rehearsal - he'd love to see you. But you haven't answered my question, Sixty Five."

"I haven't been called that name since before my parents died. I have yet to be officially adopted, it's just a matter of paperwork approval, but I have been living with them for about six weeks now, and I have known them for about nine or so. So far, it is going well. For the first time since Mom and Dad died, I feel like I belong somewhere, like I have a family of my own."

"Sixty Five Roses? What kind of nickname is that?" muttered Esme.

"Most little children can't say the name 'Cystic Fibrosis' properly, most of them say 'Sixty five roses' instead, hence the disease and apparently Mia as well, is nicknamed as such," explained Blythe. Esme smiled, imagining a three year old Amelia struggle to pronounce her disease properly. She focused again on the conversation occurring between Amelia and Simon.

"I got bounced around foster care a lot. When I was ten, I got placed in a group home. Last summer I got hospitalised and eventually sent to one of the top CF experts in Rochester, New York. Carlisle and Esme flew in for a medical conference and as attendees, they attended a ward round where they got to meet me, kind of, and it just took off from there. They have been so kind and generous. They are taking good care of me, Uncle Si. You don't have to worry about me. I don't have much time left so it's been grand finally having a family again, even if it is just for a short while."

Simon just hugged the teenager. He had known Amelia from the day she was born and had been the closest person she had to a grandfather. He had watched her grow up for three years, listened to her little 'performances', commandeered the entire philharmonic orchestra into playing a waltz from _Sleeping Beauty_ when she was sad about something, wiped many tears of hers, had held her tightly in his arms when Abigail and Christopher were handed the news that their tiny daughter, who had been born too early and had barely survived her first few weeks in her incubator, had a serious genetic disease, and generally kept an eye on her. Of all of the children of his orchestra members, she was the one who held a special place in his heart.

It was Simon who had picked up that Amelia would be very musical and in a league of her own, and had dug around until he found a child sized violin, restrung it so that his little prodigy could play it and handed it to her. Abigail told him the following day that Amelia had refused to be separated from it, and had literally fallen asleep with it in her arms. He had received photographic evidence a few months later. He made a mental note to give a copy to Amelia. He also needed to look for the scrap book he had made for her many years ago in the hopes that one day, they would meet again.


	60. Chapter 60

Amelia took a breath and picked up her violin. She rested her violin on her shoulder and held it in place with her chin, before pulling up the sleeves of her jersey. She took a seat on the chair that stood on the stage. All of the soloists had left. Simon remained seated and waited expectantly for his beloved prodigy to play something. Amelia picked up her bow, and began to play her composition, allowing the music to fill the hall as she brought the bow into contact with the strings. Esme smiled as the music washed over her, grateful for the umpteenth time that day that fate had brought Amelia into her life. She glanced at Carlisle, who had a serene expression gracing his face. They exchanged a smile. They glanced at Simon, who gently swayed in time to the music. A few people walked into the auditorium and sat next to or behind Simon.

"What was so important that we had to get here immediately, Simon?" asked a short blonde haired woman carrying a flute case, "I thought practice was cancelled tonight because of the youth competition tomorrow."

"I was listening to some of them earlier, there is some potential in that lot," muttered a tall dark haired man, who did not have an instrument with him. Simon pointed at Amelia and the group of musicians fell silent, listening to Amelia play.

"Shucks, she is good," breathed a red-haired woman, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"We are going to need a new adjudicator tomorrow," stated the dark-haired man. He had piercing blue eyes and had been unable to tear his eyes off Amelia.

"Why is that, Peter? You're one of the best judges we have," stated the red-haired woman.

"Look at her properly," stated Peter. Esme realised that he was the Peter to whom Simon had referred earlier. This man was Amelia's godfather, and had fought bitterly to get Amelia into his care, with no success.

"Is that who I think that is?" queried a brunette, middle-aged woman, who was also staring at Amelia. Simon and Peter exchanged sad smiles.

"She is the splitting image of her mother," stated Peter sadly.

"Ok, I'm lost. Who is she exactly? She looks familiar but I cannot for the life of me place her," stated an Asian man, tapping his fingers in time to the beat on his bassoon case.

"It's Amelia, Abigail's daughter," stated the red-haired lady.

"No!" breathed the Asian man in shock.

"Yes it is. She's Peter's goddaughter, therefore his adjudication counts as conflict of interest," said Simon.

"Sixty Five Roses is back," smiled a stunning African-American woman who had put down a clarinet case on the floor. Esme was reminded of a trip to the Mississippi many decades ago when she spoke, "does she remember us?"

"She recognised me, Ariané, but I am not sure if she will remember all of you," spoke Simon.

"Remember the time she was devastated because she couldn't go to a Sleeping Beauty themed party because she had a hospital appointment?" interjected the brunette.

"How could we forget, Sasha? Simon gave us half an hour to learn the Waltz suite or face certain death," stated the Asian man, chuckling at the memory.

"I wasn't that cruel, Benjamin. I gave you guys 45 minutes," said Simon sweetly, "and we put a smile on Amelia's face in the process."

"That we did," agreed Peter, observing Amelia who finished the final notes of her piece with a flourish. They burst into applause for her. Amelia smiled and took a bow.

"My money's on Amelia creaming everyone tomorrow," stated Ariané, "that girl has got some serious talent. She composed that herself, correct? Well-spotted, Si."

"That was beautiful, Amelia," called Simon.

"Thank you," she called back. Carlisle jumped up to help her pack her violin away, and he helped her down the stairs and led her to where some of the philharmonic members were sitting. She smiled at them and frowned as she recognised Peter.

"Uncle Peter?" she asked hesitantly.

"Mia," he smiled, opening his arms wide and embracing her, "you look just like your mother."

"So Uncle Simon told me," she giggled, hugging him back, "it's good to see you, Uncle Pete."

"Likewise, my little one."

"And where is my hug?" broke in Ariané cheekily.

"Why on earth would I ever give you a hug, Ariané?" teased Amelia, leaning forward to give the clarinetist a hug.

"You wound me, Titch," she replied in mock indignation.

"I've grown since you last saw me," stated Amelia.

"You may be 16, but you will always be that cute little thing who insisted on giving us a solo performance of _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ ," she smiled fondly at the teenager.

"Oh heavens, I'd forgotten about that," Amelia laughed, blushing red. Esme and Carlisle chuckled. Blythe outright laughed. The others looked at them and introductions were hastily made. Amelia was delighted to see the others whom she vaguely remembered from her childhood – Sasha, who always allowed Amelia play with her oboe; Sophia, the blonde flautist who had desperately tried to convince Amelia that the flute was way better than the violin with zero success; Benjamin the bassoonist who always had a smile for the small dark-haired girl; and Cassandra, the red-haired lead violinist who had a temper to match when riled up, but who always played dress-up with Amelia when she needed a partner.

The late afternoon turned into evening. Ariané and Blythe bonded over their mutual love for the clarinet and spent a good half hour trying to outplay each other. Amelia made up for lost time with her mother's orchestra colleagues. The Cullens retired to their hotel when it became apparent that Amelia was exhausted. She'd missed her afternoon physiotherapy and was starting to struggle to breathe, more so than usual. She cheerfully waved everyone goodnight, and the four of them left the hall.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Amelia yawned as they drove to the hotel.

"You're welcome," responded Esme, twisting in her seat and giving her daughter a smile.

"What instrument does Peter play?" asked Blythe in curiosity.

"Double bass," she replied. Carlisle pulled into the parking spot reserved for the penthouse suite. The other parking bay held Rosalie's BMW. They exited the car and soon enough, were in the elevator and on the way to the suite.

"The others have gone out," stated Carlisle when Amelia glanced towards the other suite, contemplating whether or not she should holler a greeting at them. She nodded and walked into their suite, putting her violin next to the door lest she forget it tomorrow morning. After physio, a hairwash and dinner, she retired to bed.

* * *

"Where is my violin?" Amelia shrieked, panicking when she didn't find it. She was pacing the hotel room in her pyjamas, totally frazzled. She had abandoned her breakfast midway through and was unable to focus on anything.

"It's right here, squirt," called Emmett, holding it up above his head.

"Emmett!" Amelia was still distressed.

"Jasper, please help," called Blythe, who was in her and Amelia's room.

"Amelia Grace Theodore, get your butt back in this room and get the heck out of your pyjamas," scolded Esme, walking out of Amelia's room, grabbing the teenager by the hand and marching her back into the room. Alice joined them a moment later, Blythe made a hasty escape from the room and Carlisle could hear his wife and middle daughter getting Amelia dressed into neat black jeans, mid-calf length boots and a shirt that read 'Forks High School Orchestra'. Alice emerged from the room carrying a lilac jersey and white shirt, which she tucked neatly into a shoulder bag.

"Go and brush your teeth, Amelia," commanded Esme. He heard the teenager stomp into the bathroom and brush her teeth, then splash water on her face. Rosalie walked into the bathroom and Carlisle heard her run a brush through Amelia's hair, neatly pulling it into a French plait and sliding a few clips into place.

"Ready?" called Esme, poking her head into the bathroom, holding Amelia's coat on her arm.

"No," stated Amelia, "I can't do this."

"Is she always this bad?" wondered Carlisle out loud.

"Yes," replied Blythe, "you should have seen her at the music exam a few weeks ago. She was a nervous wreck. I was in two minds about calling you."

"But she got a distinction for that."

"Your point?"

"Amelia, come on. We need to leave," called Alice, grabbing Amelia's unfinished breakfast and dumping it in a travel mug, grabbing a spoon and walking into the next suite.

"Jasper!" called Rosalie desperately.

"He went hunting," replied Alice, "he's meeting us at the hall."

"Great," muttered Rosalie. She eventually picked up Amelia, and carried her out of the bathroom, "let's get moving, people!"

"Where is my violin?" Amelia asked for the second time, struggling to get out of Rosalie's arms. Rosalie put her down and held her while Esme yanked the coat on and wound a scarf around her neck. She then placed the vogmask on her daughter's face and kissed her on the forehead.

"Emmett, just give Mia her damn violin!" Rosalie muttered.

"Language, Rosalie!" chided Esme. Rosalie pulled a face and picked Amelia up again, carrying her out of the suite. The others followed suit.

"Mia, you're going to fine, okay? I know you're nervous, and it's ok to be so. You're going to be awesome today," said Rosalie quietly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Amelia's face. Amelia wrapped her free arm around Rosalie and hugged her. Esme smiled at the tender scene before her and snapped a photograph. The family finally made it to the parking garage. Amelia frowned when Rosalie walked towards her own car, her anxiety for the day ahead flaring up again. Carlisle nudged her gently and she slid her violin along the seats, then grabbed the arm rest on the door panel before hoisting herself up into the SUV and strapping herself in. She hugged the violin case to herself. Carlisle secured the oxygen concentrator before climbing into the driver's seat. Esme climbed in as well.

"Rose," stated Emmett, glancing at Amelia. She nodded, and tossed him her car keys. Alice got into the passenger seat of the BMW and Emmett strolled over to the driver's side.

"Scratch my car, and I will scratch your face, that is a promise," she warned. Blythe winked at her and climbed into the backseat of the BMW. They pealed out of the parking bay. Rosalie climbed into the backseat as well and buckled up. Esme handed her Amelia's remaining cereal and they too left the parking lot. Amelia was anxiously tapping her violin case, before Rosalie reached across and stilled it, taking Amelia's hand in her own and squeezing it gently. Even in the traffic, it didn't take them long. They spotted Alice and Simon having a conversation on the pavement and Carlisle double parked with the intention of getting Amelia out of the car while he went to look for a parking spot.

"Go through the boom," instructed Simon, "I've organised for you to park there for today so Amelia doesn't have far to walk."

"Thank you," said Carlisle gratefully, driving off. Simon cheerfully greeted Amelia when she got out of the car, and she proudly introduced her big sister to the elderly gentleman.

"Ready to kick some musical butt today, Sixty Five?" he asked. Amelia nodded shyly and the pair linked arms as they made their way to the hall. They met up with Emmett and Blythe.

"You two ladies are performing the orchestral pieces before lunch, and solo pieces after lunch," he explained, entering the auditorium. Chatter and musical instruments tuning were all that Amelia could hear, "your classmates have arrived already. Your friend Daniella was giving me quite the speech about her friend who is oxygen dependent and requires special assistance."

"That sounds like Dani," she smiled affectionately. Simon gave her a hug and left. Blythe walked to where the Forks High School Orchestra was sitting, having a pep talk from Ms Monteverdi. Esme walked in behind Amelia and placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

Before she could walk towards her friends, a loud voice cut across the noise, "Is that my favourite Princess Mia?"

Amelia spun around and waved at someone. A middle aged couple approached Amelia and both enfolded her in a hug, much to Esme's amusement. She was not surprised anymore, Amelia was truly in her element here. She fitted in so seamlessly with the orchestra, "Hey Mr Kempton! Hey Mrs Kempton. Where's Courtney?"

"Tuning her flute. Courtney!"

"Yeah?" a voice called back. The brunette flautist in question turned around.

"Hey Courts!" called Amelia, waving at her.

"Mia!" she exclaimed, "hey guys, Mia's back!"

A dozen teenagers surrounded Amelia, all equally delighted to see her.

"You must be Amelia's foster parents?" asked Mrs Kempton, coming to introduce herself.

"Soon-to-be-adopted actually. I'm Esme Cullen, and this is my husband, Carlisle. Our other children are around somewhere."

"Ah that is lovely news. Amelia deserves loving parents. I'm Claire and this is my husband, Andrew. Courtney and Amelia went to school together and were part of the orchestra. I've known Mia since she was ten. The last time we saw her was shortly before she was taken to Rochester. We heard she was very ill, and then suddenly she was withdrawn from the school completely. No one would tell us anything."

"We met her in Rochester in January and the rest is history," broke in Carlisle.

"Sorry to interrupt, girls, but Amelia, the competition is about to start and you need to tune," Esme heard Ms Monteverdi say.

"I'll see you guys later. Love you Courts," Amelia gave her friend one final hug then followed her teacher.

"We live in Forks, but we should definitely let the girls get together," spoke Carlisle. Esme averted her attention back to the conversation.

"Esme, are you coming to sit?" called Emmett. They hastily ended their conversation with the Kemptons and went to sit with their children. Emmett was probably the most excited out of the lot, even although he hated classical music. His little squirt was going to play again, and he was eager for the concert to start. Alice smiled at him. She of course knew the outcome of the competition, but was keeping mum about it. Her visions were subjective after all.

* * *

 **AN-**

 **Hope you are all enjoying the story thus far. A little bit of advertising - check out "The Beauty of Falling in Love" by RebeccaKremlin. It has just been published here on .**

 **Also, anyone here who lives in South Africa? I was browsing through the traffic stats and spotted it. I got excited, sorry :P Drop me a line!**


	61. Chapter 61

"Thank you, Glendale High School for that lovely performance. Up next we have a new school joining us this year all the way from the Olympic Peninsula. Please welcome Forks High School to the stage," stated Simon, speaking into the microphone. He smiled at the students as they hastily made their way to their seats. He winked at Amelia as she walked past him, holding onto her violin. Blythe walked after her, keeping a watchful eye on her friend. Soon enough the orchestra was seated, and ready for their performance. Ms Monteverdi took her place, and Gabriella played an A note. Two dozen instruments were tuned. Their orchestra was undoubtedly the smallest of all of the schools partaking in the day's events, but they were determined to give it their best and have fun.

The students fell silent, waiting for Ms Monteverdi's signal. Violins were lifted onto shoulders, cellos were gripped a little tighter, wind instruments were lifted up. They launched into the overture movement of Handel's _Music for the Royal Fireworks_.

Esme smiled at Carlisle. He took her hand in his. A glance to her left saw Emmett holding a video camera, watching with rapt attention, Rosalie gently swaying in time to the music, and Alice and Jasper holding hands. As it was Charlie's birthday, Edward, Bella and Renesmee had been unable to attend. Amelia was easy going, and was not bothered in the slightest by it. Aside from Bree, she'd never had anyone come to support her at a concert or recital of any kind, and she relished the happiness it brought her, and the joy on her mother's face when she got to see her youngest daughter on stage, playing her heart out.

The piece ended, and _La Réjouissance_ was subsequently played. Esme caught sight of Amelia coughing, and hoped that she could last until the end of their performance. The lively piece also came to an end, and Amelia took the opportunity to hack out her lungs as quietly as possible while the audience was applauding for them.

"I'm alright, guys," she whispered, knowing that her family could hear her. It did little to calm her family down, who could hear every agonising breath Amelia was taking.

"Carlisle, go," urged Alice softly. He glanced at her then kissed Esme. The Rachmaninov was played next, during which Carlisle stood up and walked out of the concert hall. The Cullens were seated in the middle of the concert hall, near the middle aisle. Carlisle made his way backstage.

"Excuse me, Sir. I'm afraid you cannot come back here," whispered one of the programme coordinators, who held onto a clipboard.

"My daughter is the young girl who is oxygen dependent," he began.

"Amelia's dad?" she broke in, "pleased to meet you. It's ok then, Simon said you guys would probably come back here."

"Carlisle," he introduced himself.

"Beatrice," she replied, "it's fantastic to see little Mia again. Well, she's not so little anymore actually. Heavens, she's so big. Are you coming to the tribute concert next week?"

"What tribute concert?" asked Carlisle in confusion.

"We do a tribute to Amelia's parents every year," muttered Simon, joining the pair, "it'll be 13 years since they passed next Saturday. Well technically Abi is on Saturday, Chris is on the Monday. We set up a scholarship in Abi's memory, and all of the money that is accrued from the ticket sales gets put into the fund. We have a competition every year for students studying music on a university level, and the winner obviously gets the bursary. Normally we get enough to cover the student's tuition which is great."

"Amelia spied Abigail's picture in the foyer just before she ran into you," stated Carlisle.

"Her mother was a phenomenal musician. I've never encountered a violinist as talented as she was. It appears that Amelia is equally talented, but only time will tell," Simon smiled sadly at the memory, "I know you are now Amelia's foster parents, and I do apologise for referring to Abi and Chris as her parents, but please understand that that little family holds a very special place in our hearts."

"Abigail and Christopher are every bit as much Amelia's parents as we are, if not more. We love Amelia dearly, but we sometimes think that she is too afraid to speak of her parents for fear of hurting us," murmured Carlisle thoughtfully. The trio applauded as the Rachmaninov ended, and the final orchestral piece, _The Final Countdown_ , was played with gusto. Beatrice excused herself and exited the stage for a few minutes.

"May Peter and I have a word with her about that? We have some things that we would like to give Amelia. Benjamin is a financial advisor, so we made a few investments on Amelia's behalf that we would like to entrust to her. We also would like to know if she is interested in playing with us at her parent's tribute concert. I fear that time is running out for her," Simon concluded sombrely.

"Her time is running out, Simon, yes. She probably will not finish off the school year if her health continues to decline at the rate it has been doing so."

Simon whistled softly in shock. "We've only just got her back. Take care of her, Carlisle. Do whatever you need to do to save her," he murmured. He knew what the Cullens were. Carlisle glanced at him in surprise. Simon smiled knowingly.

"How?" asked Carlisle in bewilderment, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"I'm an old man, Carlisle. I've been around a long time. I've seen things, I _remember_ things, certain people, certain doctors who treated me at some point in my youth. You haven't changed a bit. My mother's family originally comes from Haiti; I am well versed in the folklore of a supernatural kind. I grew up in New Orleans, so did Ariané. We are not blind," Simon stated, his accent suddenly creeping back.

"We stayed in Louisiana for a while," muttered Carlisle, recalling their brief stay in the state a few decades previously.

"You left just as suddenly as you arrived," agreed Simon breezily, "Ariané knows as well. Neither of us will speak of it to the others. Has Amelia made her decision?"

"Yes she has," nodded Carlisle.

"She is going to live for a very long time, isn't she?" Simon asked quietly. Carlisle nodded, "Good. Thank you, Carlisle. Abigail and Christopher would be thanking you too."

The men applauded as the final piece finished. Blythe realised that Carlisle was backstage and led Amelia to him as the orchestra left the stage. Amelia was struggling not to cough.

"Take her to my office. She remembers where it is," spoke Simon, handing Blythe the keys. Thanking him, the trio quickly left the stage.

* * *

"So how are things going, Courts?" Amelia asked her friend. Daniella, Blythe, Courtney and Amelia were seated at the front of the hall. Shannon and Chloe joined them, taking their seats with a cheerful sigh. After Carlisle and Blythe had basically rescued the ailing teen, she'd thrown up twice and Esme had spent fifteen minutes trying to convince a very disheartened Amelia that she should put it behind her and continue with the competition, and not worry about the fact that she had projectile vomited her breakfast and a substantial amount of phlegm across the foyer in full view of half of the philharmonic orchestra, a few parents and several dozen of her peers. Alice and Rose had simply led her away and cleaned her up, then wrestled her into the pink jersey that Alice had selected that morning.

"Well thanks, Mia. I missed you awfully. School has been so different without you. Are you coming back to Seattle?"

"I'm staying in Forks permanently now. It's just a matter of paperwork before I get adopted officially. Hopefully that will be soon."

"I'm so happy for you, Mia. You really deserve this. I hope maybe we can visit each other often."

"Thanks Courts. I hope so too, but I'm just so sick most of the time, so it's hard to get things done."

"Not at school anymore then, huh?"

"I managed a couple of weeks before busting a vessel in my lungs."

"Again? Oh Mia, what are we going to do with you?" Courtney laughed in exasperation.

"I could say the same about you," Amelia teased.

"Whatever," retorted Courtney playfully.

"If Bree were here, she'd be telling you girls to play nicely," interjected Courtney's mom, coming to join the girls.

"That she would," agreed Amelia. In her mind's eye, she could picture her best friend elbowing the two of them and rolling her eyes in mock vexation. She smiled at Claire Kempton, and gave her a hug. The older woman hugged her back, she had always held a soft spot for Amelia and Bree. Amelia and Courtney were friends, and because Amelia and Bree never went anywhere without each other, they had formed a sweet little trio who often hung out over the weekend at the Kempton's in order to avoid the home as much as possible.

"I miss her," stated Courtney. Amelia nodded sadly. She missed Bree too. She alone was the one who understood the best what she had gone through.

"Are Esme and Carlisle treating you well?" asked Mrs Kempton.

"Very much so, Mrs K," said Amelia earnestly. Mrs Kempton studied the girl in front of her. Amelia had gotten frailer since she had seen her last, but there was a certain joy about her that told her that the special young teen was happy at last.

"That is good to hear," nodded Mrs Kempton.

"Squirt!" hollered Emmett, trotting down the aisle to where his baby sister was sitting. Amelia turned around and caught his eye, a questioning look forming on her face.

"Is he your brother?" asked Courtney, turning around to see who was calling Amelia.

"Yip, middle one," stated Amelia.

"Mom wants to take a group photo," he called.

"But Edward, Bella and Nessie are not here," she replied.

"Your point? Do you really think Mom is going to take no for an answer?" he retorted.

"Come on Mia," begged Alice, dancing up behind Emmett and turning on her signature pout that could melt even the most frozen of hearts.

"Come on Blythe, we have a photo to take," groaned Amelia, hoisting herself up out of her seat.

"Nuh uh, I'm not a Cullen," she crowed.

"You're part of the family," stated Amelia firmly, holding out her hand.

"Blythe, you _will_ be in our photo. You are family as far as I am concerned," she heard Esme mutter, "now get your arse here before I come and get you myself."

Emmett and Alice giggled at Esme's language. Blythe rolled her eyes and linked arms with Amelia.

"We'll be back in a few," stated Amelia, "play nicely, Courts."

"Yes Mia," muttered Courtney sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at her friend. Amelia responded in kind.

* * *

"Go Courtney!" called Amelia, applauding loudly for her friend as she concluded her flute solo. Her friends followed suit, Courtney was certainly talented. Amelia glanced behind her and saw Sophia, the philharmonic's flautist, nodding her head, applauding loudly. Amelia felt a hint of pride at one of her oldest friend's performance. Courtney rejoined her school friends. The girls weren't sitting together, but Amelia flashed a thumbs up at her friend as she stood up to walk backstage with her dad again. Courtney grinned back and drew a circle around her heart with her right fist. It was a sign that the two of them and Bree had devised.

A few soloists later, it was Forks High School's turn. Amelia was already sitting backstage by this point. It was tiring enough trying to perform, and the walk from her seat up the stairs to the stage would only make it worse for her, according to Alice. Chloe went up first, proving that she was a keen cellist. A few others went up, including Shannon. Daniella went up afterwards, shaking in her boots. Her piano solo was perfect. Amelia applauded loudly. Daniella grinned at her through the curtains and took a bow.

"Up next, we have Amelia Theodore who will be performing a piece that she composed herself, called _Espérer_."

"Good luck, Amelia," muttered Carlisle, giving his daughter a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks Dad," she replied. Amelia walked onto the stage and offered her audience a tight smile, before sitting down on the chair. She lifted up her violin and began to play. A photographer ghosted around her as he had done so whilst all of the other soloists had been performing. The event was also being filmed, and a copy of the competition as well as the photographs would be made available to all those who wished to purchase them.

Esme had promptly ordered a dozen of every photograph he took of Amelia, no matter what they looked like. She was determined to document what little remained of Amelia's human life. Alice's vision of Amelia dying had shocked her and she had been sad to learn that Emmett and Jasper had not been able to put many pictures together. She was determined to rectify that. She made a mental note to speak to Simon and Peter later, and to the Theodores' lawyer. Perhaps the Kemptons had a few as well that they'd be willing to allow Esme to scan onto her computer.

"Relax Esme," whispered Jasper, "I can hear your brain ticking."

"Sorry Jasper," she mumbled in response.

Amelia concluded her piece to a loud applause from the audience. She caught sight of Sasha and Sophia cheering loudly for her. Peter, Benjamin and Simon waved at her as they applauded with the rest of the audience. Cassandra and Benjamin flashed a thumbs up. Amelia glanced at her family. Carlisle was applauding for her backstage, Esme and Rosalie were cheering loudly. Alice, Emmett and Jasper were stamping their feet. Courtney and her parents were cheering as well. She bowed and made her way down the stairs, murmuring a 'good luck' to the next competitor as they passed on the stairs. A dozen more students played.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap of our solo performances. Well done to everyone who performed today. The adjudicators will now take leave to decide who the winners will be. They will return in 15 minutes, so please do not wander too far," stated Simon, speaking into the microphone.

Esme glanced at Amelia and Blythe, who sat patiently with the rest of their classmates. A few students from other schools exited the hall, presumably to use the bathroom. A buzz of noise had erupted after the adjudicators left the hall.

"Carlisle, regardless of the outcome, we want to see Amelia before you depart. Please stop by my office afterwards," whispered Peter as he walked past them.

"Does anyone here want to hear the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra play?" asked Simon, "the winner of the competition gets to do a solo piece with them, and the runners up get to play with them. Our youth orchestra is also in need of some fresh faces, so if anyone is interested, please sign up in the foyer after the competition winners have been announced."

A loud cheer erupted. The philharmonic orchestra filed onto the stage and took a seat. Cassandra led the orchestra into their tuning. Amelia spied Peter tuning his double bass, Sophia and Ariané tuning their instruments. Sasha and Benjamin were equally focused. Amelia and Blythe came to sit with the rest of the Cullens.

"Way to go, Squirt," boomed Emmett, ever the proud big brother. Rosalie, Alice and Jasper echoed his sentiments.

"Congratulations, Amelia," chorused Carlisle and Esme.

"Thank you," she stated, curling into her mother's lap, resting her head on Esme's shoulder. The caramel-haired woman held her tightly. Simon took his place on the stage as the conductor. The orchestra readied themselves, and began to play Tchaikovsky's _Waltz_ suite from _Sleeping Beauty_ , just as they had done thirteen years previously for Amelia. Amelia gasped and broke into a smile. Her eyes were shut and she swayed in time to the music, lost in the memory. It was one of the few happy memories she retained, and recalled it with astonishing clarity.

She saw herself as a toddler, bitterly upset over not being able to go to a themed party. She had been wearing her 'sleeping beauty' dress up costume at the time. Simon had found her crying softly to herself, and asked his little princess what was wrong. After finding out the problem, he had spoken to Cassandra and then taken Amelia to his office, where the pair had eaten a packet of jelly babies. Simon always had them in his office, probably because Amelia loved them so. Half an hour later, she was feeling better. They had walked back to the hall, where Simon had given them the signal and the orchestra had played the Waltz suite just for her. She had danced around a bit, until Simon had asked her for the dance, and giggling madly, she had agreed. He had scooped her up into his arms and waltzed along the aisle with her.

The memory brought tears to her eyes and when she opened her eyes up and wiped them away, she saw her parents smiling tenderly at her. She applauded loudly when it ended, blowing a kiss to Simon when he turned around and caught her eye. The orchestra stood up and bowed, then exited the stage. The adjudicators came back into the hall, and Amelia and Blythe excused themselves to sit with their friends.


	62. Chapter 62

**AN**

 **I apologise in advance if the French spoken in this chapter is grammatically incorrect. I have never studied the language before, so I used Google Translate to help me, which is not always the most reliable resource. If anyone speaks French, please let me know if it is wrong so that I may correct it :)**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have our winners," Simon spoke into the microphone. He had moved back to stand on the stage. A table had been set up, with two trophies and six medals. One of the adjudicators walked up to him and handed him a sheet of paper, "Before I read these names, I'd like to give my heartfelt congratulations to everyone who competed today. The judges have told me that they had a very tough time trying to name the winners. After we have concluded, I ask that the winners please stay behind so that we can take some photos."

"Alice, can you see anything?" asked Emmett, unable to bear waiting to know. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Leave her alone," muttered Rosalie, smacking him upside the head.

"I will announce the orchestra winners first," stated Simon, "could the leader of the orchestra please come up to the stage to receive a medal on their school's behalf. In third place, we have Glendale High School."

A cheer went up from the Glendale students, and their leader went up to collect the bronze medal.

"In second place, we have Seattle Central High School."

A second cheer went up, and their leader went up to collect the silver medal.

"And our winner is, drum roll please," the philharmonic orchestra's percussionist did as he was instructed, "D.W. Smith High School!"

A loud round of applause rang out. Amelia cheered loudly, as the winning school was her previous school. Her old orchestra-mates had won. The entire orchestra went onto the stage and took a bow, and the leader took the medal for her orchestra, and held up the trophy in victory. Esme smiled as Amelia had her friends cheering as well, and glanced to where Courtney's parents were sitting. The look of pride on their faces brought a smile to Esme's face. The applause quietened down and the students left the stage, returning to their seats.

"And now for our soloist winners," announced Simon.

A buzz erupted in the hall. Esme heard parents and students alike discussing who they thought might win.

"It'll be that talented boy who played the cello," remarked a young girl about Amelia's age. She was sitting five rows in front of Esme.

"Nah, I reckon it'll be that trombone player who played towards the end," said her friend.

"I think it's that young violinist who composed her own music," stated a parent sitting two rows behind the Cullens.

"The sick girl who is on oxygen?" asked the woman next to him, presumably his wife.

"Yeah, her. She was phenomenal."

"She was. I've not heard talent like that for a long time."

Esme and Carlisle exchanged glances and entwined their hands. Emmett was bouncing off his seat with anticipation. Alice and Jasper shared a knowing look.

"Emmett, calm down. You will break the chair if you don't stop," chided Carlisle in amusement.

"Jasper, please!" begged Rosalie. Jasper shook his head.

"Let him have his fun, Rosie. He's just excited."

"He thinks Amelia scored a medal. Let him savour the moment," agreed Alice softly. Esme's unbeating heart sank. She had really hoped Amelia would feature in the top three. She hoped Amelia wouldn't be too upset. Up on the stage, Simon's face was impassive, not giving away anything. She sighed softly and focused on Amelia, who was coughing again. She started when she realised that while she was musing, she'd missed the third and second place winners. She watched as an 18 year old saxophonist made his way down the stairs, silver medal clasped tightly in his hand.

"And finally, our winner for the soloist competition is," a drumroll played, "Amelia Theodore!"

A scream of delight erupted from Amelia's friends, both at her old school and her new school. Esme and Carlisle applauded loudly for their daughter. The feeling of pride was indescribable, but Esme felt that she may explode with happiness and pride and joy. Emmett and Jasper had started chanting "Mia! Mia!" over and over again, and soon the audience was doing the same. Alice and Rosalie were holding each other and dancing in delight. On the other side of the hall, Peter and the rest of the orchestra were cheering loudly for their beloved not-so-little-anymore Amelia. Amelia herself was in shock, mouth hanging open and frozen. She could scarcely believe her ears. Daniella nudged her out of her seat.

Amelia slowly made her way up the stage, coughing heavily as she did so. She made her way to Simon. They embraced.

"Congratulations, Sixty Five," he whispered.

"Thanks Uncle Si," she replied. Simon placed the medal over her head and handed her the trophy. They posed for a picture. With the competition now over, all that remained was to take the group photos of the winners.

"Could you hold this for me please, Uncle Si?" asked Amelia, handing him the trophy, "I don't think I should walk down the stairs with the trophy in case I drop it."

"Sure thing," he said, taking it from her. Amelia slowly made her way to the stairs. Carlisle tensed, so did Blythe. Amelia's heart, which had fared well, was starting to beat too fast. As she reached the top of the stairs and put her hand out to grasp the banister, she paused suddenly.

"Oh no!" cried Alice, coming out of a vision, "Carlisle, Blythe! Get to Mia!"

"Dad. Help," she whispered. Carlisle was out of his seat as fast as he could for a vampire masquerading as a human. Before he could even move, they watched in horror as the next events unfolded in what seemed like slow motion.

Amelia gasped and swayed on her feet, a creeping blackness clouding her vision. In an almost comedic fashion, her eyes rolled back and she fell forward as she lost consciousness, knees collapsing beneath her. Simon gasped and dropped the trophy as he raced to get to her. Her portable oxygen concentrator fell off her shoulder, and they heard both Amelia and her concentrator hit every step on the way down with a sickening crunch, until she reached the bottom, hitting her head with a final, sickening thud. The concentrator lost its power. Someone screamed. It wasn't until Rosalie clamped a hand over Esme's mouth that Esme realised that she was the one who was screaming. Carlisle took off running down the aisle, calling for someone to get the spare oxygen concentrator from the trunk of Esme's car. Emmett sprinted out of the auditorium. Blythe pushed people out of her way to get to Amelia. Simon reached her first and gingerly stepped around her, fearful to move her.

"She's bradycardiac. No cervical fracture. It's safe to move her," whispered Blythe. Carlisle reached them.

"Her heart rate has dropped substantially. Move her on three," said Carlisle.

"It has. I suspect it's a vasovagal syncope," Blythe muttered, as they moved Amelia so that she was flat on her back.

"What can I do to help?" asked Simon anxiously.

"Get everyone out," chorused Blythe and Carlisle. The experienced doctor and teenaged healer exchanged glances. Blythe looked at Amelia meaningfully. Carlisle nodded almost imperceptibly.

Jasper used his powers as an empath to calm down the audience. Peter came up to help out with Amelia, whilst Benjamin and the rest of the orchestra were desperately trying to herd everyone out of the auditorium. Daniella, Courtney and the rest of the girls refused to leave, so Jasper and Alice herded them to the back of the auditorium and away from their friend. Rosalie led Esme towards Amelia.

"Simon," pleaded Carlisle, inclining his head towards Peter.

"Come Pete, let's let the good doctor do his work and we can check on Amelia later. We must take those photos," said Simon, handing his keys to Rosalie as they walked past them.

As soon as the humans were out of earshot, Blythe put her hands on Amelia's torso and focused, allowing her gift to run a diagnostic scan, for lack of a better term, on Amelia. She opened her eyes.

"Definitely a syncope. Too much coughing. She's missed her physio, that's why. Shoot. Mild concussion, multiple bruises over her ribs, arms and legs. Hairline fractures of the fifth, sixth and seventh left ribs. She's fine otherwise, but she is going to be as stiff as hell, sorry Esme, tomorrow morning."

"My poor baby," sobbed Esme. Carlisle glanced up, sensitive to his wife's distress. He yearned to stand up and comfort her, but as he currently held Amelia's head in his hands, he could not move.

"Esme, she is alright, just bruised. Don't worry, she will be fine. Rosalie, could you please get me Amelia's oxygen mask?" he asked.

Rosalie streaked away. Emmett charged back into the hall with the spare concentrator. Carlisle and Blythe rolled the unconscious teenager into the recovery position. Rosalie returned and Carlisle quickly placed the mask over Amelia's face.

"Do we call an ambulance?" called Ariané as she and Cassandra herded the last of the audience out of the hall.

"Blythe?" asked Carlisle.

"No, I have it under control. Cover me, and keep the humans away," she instructed.

"We have it under control. It's just bit of bruising and concussion," he called, loudly so that only she could hear. He heard Ariané mutter something in French, then she and Cassandra made their way over to Amelia's friends to keep them occupied. Blythe smiled in amusement as she placed her left hand on Amelia's head, and her right over Amelia's broken and bruised ribs.

" _Je vais, Ariané_ ," she called in response. She would help her friend.

" _Merci_ ," whispered Ariané.

"Bless you," the Cullens heard Cassandra say, thinking Ariané had sneezed. Emmett stifled a laugh. Blythe shut her eyes and focused. Her hands began to glow gold as they always did when she used her gift, reached a certain brightness and then dulled, until it faded from her fingertips.

"She'll be alright now," stated Blythe, "stiff as anything with the other bruises, but at least she will be able to breathe with minimal discomfort. I'd like to reassess her shin and ankle in the morning - it will probably swell up a bit."

"Amelia will wake up in twenty five minutes," whispered Alice.

"That's far too long!" exclaimed Esme, "surely she would awaken sooner than that?"

"She's no longer concussed and she has recovered enough from her fainting spell. She's actually fallen asleep, Esme. She is exhausted," reassured Blythe.

"Simon's office or the hotel?" asked Carlisle.

"Hotel. She'll be more comfortable there."

Emmett picked up Amelia, and Rosalie, Blythe, Esme and Carlisle followed him out of the hall to the car park. The foyer was nearly empty. A few people glanced their way. Simon came up to them.

"We're taking her back to the hotel now," said Rosalie, handing him his office keys.

"Is she alright?" he asked, following them out to the exit.

"She's going to be bruised and stiff when she wakes up, but she will be alright," stated Carlisle.

"Thank you," said Simon sincerely, "and thank you, Blythe, for what you did to help her."

" _Mon plaisir à la_ ," she replied, winking.

Simon smiled at her. "Do you need any assistance?"

"Alice, Jasper and Emmett will gather our things and meet us at the hotel. If you wish to come over later with Benjamin and Peter, you are most welcome to. We are staying at the Kremlin Hotel two blocks away, penthouse suite."

"Thank you, Carlisle. We shall let you know. Look after our girl, please."

Rosalie climbed into the driver's seat of the SUV and started the engine. Blythe hopped into the backseat and took Amelia from Emmett. Carlisle climbed in next to her in case Amelia needed them on their trip back. Esme hoisted herself into the front passenger seat and shut the door. Emmett and Simon waved them off as Rosalie pealed out of the parking lot. Before long, she was pulling up to the hotel entrance and dropping the others off, before going to park the SUV in the penthouse suite parking bay.

* * *

Amelia rolled over and groaned. She blinked a few times.

"Amelia!" cried Esme, immediately embracing her daughter. Amelia sucked in a breath and coughed heavily.

"How are you feeling?" asked Carlisle.

"Sore," she replied truthfully, "what happened?"

"You fainted at the concert hall," supplied Carlisle, "took quite the tumble down the stage stairs, my dear."

"Wonderful," she muttered sarcastically, "what was I doing up on stage? I remember them announcing the silver medallist of the soloists."

"You won, squirt!" boomed Emmett, charging into the room.

"I did?" she asked quietly, eyebrows knitting together, "oh."

"Congratulations, sweetheart," said Esme, cupping Amelia's face in her hand and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"I think it is time for physio now. Blythe thinks that your missing afternoon physiotherapy was the cause of your syncope," declared Carlisle.

"I was feeling tight chested, yes, but thought I could hold on a little longer. I guess I couldn't. Sorry guys," she apologised. Any joy at winning a regional competition had dissipated as she grappled with her embarrassment. Carlisle decided not to tell her the full extent of her injuries until she felt a little better.

"Physio," he stated firmly.


	63. Chapter 63

"Are you feeling a little better, Sixty Five?" queried Simon mildly. Evening had fallen. Amelia was feeling better after her lengthy physiotherapy. She was presently digging into a chicken burger at the dining area that the hotel housed. She glanced up, blushed and swallowed quickly.

"Yes thanks, Simon," she replied.

"I fainted at a concert once," Ariané said thoughtfully, recalling how she had been playing one minute, and waking up to find herself in Simon's office the next. Amelia gave a small smile.

"That was so funny," chipped in Peter, "she literally fell over during a performance. We had to stop playing, take her off the stage and continue playing like nothing had happened."

"So casual, like 'nah, nothing to worry about, this happens all the time'," snorted Ariané, "I hit my head on my music stand and gave myself a concussion."

"You're lucky you didn't get one, Mia" stated Peter, "you took a real tumble."

"She is very fortunate to have avoided one but we reckon she will be very stiff in the morning. Tell me Peter, what made you decide to play the double bass?" interjected Carlisle, steering the conversation away from Amelia. Amelia shot him a grateful look and continued to play around with her fries. Her appetite had diminished. She pushed back her plate and sighed softly.

"Full already?" asked Esme, concerned about how much food still remained on Amelia's plate.

"Yeah. No appetite I guess," she stated.

"Mia was always a grazer as a child. She was never one for eating big meals," said Ariané quietly. She had also finished her meal. Everyone actually had, but Amelia was the slowest eater.

"Shall we go upstairs?" asked Carlisle. Almost half a dozen nods came his way. He settled the bill and before long, the six of them were back in the suite. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper had left for the evening, stating they needed to spend time with Blythe before she left. In reality, the five of them were busy trying to find Jemima, Amelia's beloved puppy. Well, she wasn't a puppy anymore. They were also meeting with the Theodore family's lawyer to find out details of the estate that Amelia had never been privy to. A visit with Mr Jenks was also on the cards. In short, the Cullen children and Blythe were trying to surprise Amelia.

Amelia made some tea for herself, and coffee for Peter, Simon and Ariané. She brought it to the sitting area and sat down next to Ariané.

"Amelia, we would like to have a word with you about a few things," began Simon carefully. Amelia glanced up in confusion.

"Is everything alright?" she queried, uncertain, "If you don't want me to perform at the concert then I don't mind."

"No, sweetheart. We would love it if you performed. I told your dad earlier that even if you didn't come out in the top three, we still wanted you to perform with us next week Saturday. I think it's something you'd like to do."

"Next Saturday?" she queried, the date sinking in. She shook her head as she tried to dispel the memories that surfaced. Simon had been the one to break the news to her that her mother had been killed on impact on that fatal night. Her father perished from his injuries two days later. She had spent the night sitting outside her father's ICU room, refusing to leave. The ICU nurses left her to it, she was already admitted in their paediatric section of the wing so she wasn't violating any rules by being there. She had asked to see her mother one last time. Simon and Peter had insisted that she be allowed to. At the time, she couldn't comprehend it all, her mother looked like she was sleeping. But the coldness that she felt told her another story. When it became apparent that Christopher Theodore would never make it, Peter signed off the paperwork that enabled life support to be withdrawn. Christopher had died with his daughter lying next to him, her head on his chest, crying as she heard his heart stop beating and it registered that she was all alone.

"It's the Abigail Theodore benefit concert. We hold it on the same date each year," said Ariané gently.

"The anniversary of my mom's death. Dad is on the Monday. You named a concert after my mom?" Amelia's voice held a hint of awe.

"We run a scholarship programme in her name," said Peter, "proceeds from the concert, as well as other fundraising events and donations, raise enough money to pay for a music student's fees for a year."

"How do you select a winner?" queried Amelia, intrigued.

"We make our application forms available to university students, and senior students at high school who will study music in the fall, and then have a few knock-out rounds. The top eight perform at a concert and we decide from there."

"Wow. How long has this been around for?"

"This year is our twelfth year. Your mom was very talented and we felt that it was a good way of honouring her. One of the scholarship winners actually plays with us now. You'll meet Valerie soon enough," interjected Simon.

"So the question is, what solo piece are you going to choose to play next week?" asked Peter. Amelia glanced at Carlisle and Esme, frowning slightly.

"It's alright, Amelia, you can perform with them," reassured Carlisle.

"Amelia, please don't think that you cannot speak freely of your mom and dad. They are just as much your parents as Carlisle and I are now. We don't get upset in the slightest, so please don't feel that you cannot bring them into conversation," broke in Esme.

"But I don't want to upset you," stated Amelia.

"You won't," promised Carlisle.

Amelia nodded once and addressed Ariané, "Any ideas what I could play?" she asked earnestly.

"There are numerous pieces, Titch. We just need to know which one you choose so that we can practice," Ariané replied with a smile.

"There was one which my mom used to play on a CD a lot when I was younger. I don't remember which one it was. I don't remember anymore," she said sadly, her eyes welling up with tears. Ariané wrapped an arm around the teenager. Peter broke the silence first.

"Beethoven," he stated, "Your mom loved Beethoven. We were rehearsing the piece for a concert just before-" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"Before she passed," whispered Ariané, "it was the third movement of the concerto in D major."

"Then I'll play that piece," she stated, typing it onto her cell phone lest she forget it later. Simon nodded.

"We have something else we'd like to chat to you about," he muttered.

"Ok, shoot."

"Benjamin is a financial planner. We made a few investments on your behalf."

"Who is 'we'?" she asked, curiosity overtaking her.

"Benjamin, Simon and myself," stated Peter, "Benjamin had access to your trust fund so he invested it, and the Benaroya Trust contributed towards it. It's been undisturbed for the past 13 years, with the understanding that the money be released to you at the age of 18. Normally we wait until 21, but once you turn 18, the foster system no longer looks after you, so we wanted you to have something to help you keep afloat. Obviously things have since changed. The choice is yours as to what you wish to do with it."

Amelia was silent for a few minutes as she mulled it over. "In two years' time, how much is it likely to be worth?"

"About one million dollars," stated Simon. Amelia had been drinking the last dregs of her tea, which she promptly spat out in shock. She gawked at Simon stupidly, "That's just your trust fund. The other funds have already been signed over to the Cullen Estate and are in your name."

"Along with some of our investments," chimed in Esme.

"You have a substantial amount of money in your name, but Esme insisted that we run the last one through you. She's still irked that we did it all behind your back," stated Carlisle.

"Darn right," Esme growled, "It's her money. She has the right to do with it what she pleases."

"When did the other funds get signed over?" Amelia asked quietly.

"About half an hour ago. That's where your siblings are at the moment," stated Esme. Amelia nodded and mulled things over for a few minutes.

"Keep it invested as it currently is," she stated, "I have no use for the money. I'm not going to be around for much longer anyway. When I would have turned 18, please continue with the investments and use the interest towards funding Mom's scholarship programme. I'm sure Benjamin can take it over from there, or the Benaroya Trust can figure it out."

Silence greeted her. Carlisle and Esme smiled at her. They were proud of her. Peter nodded thoughtfully. Simon and Ariané exchanged a look and nodded.

"The paperwork can wait until tomorrow," stated Simon, seeing that Amelia was tiring out.

"Do you want to go to bed?" asked Esme, taking in Amelia's exhaustion.

"Now now," she yawned. Ariané moved up and grabbed a pillow, placing it in her lap.

"Come on, Titch," she smiled.

"Some things never change," murmured Amelia, curling up on the couch with her head in Ariané's lap.

"I've seen that before," grinned Simon, taking a picture.

"You were way smaller, and way cuter," agreed Peter.

"I'm still cute," she retorted.

"We actually have a photo album for you, Mia, and a few videos of your mom performing. We'll give it to you tomorrow," said Simon.

"Emmett and Jasper have been contacting old friends of your parents to see if they have any photographs for you. The Kemptons have a few that they will scan and email for us," continued Carlisle. Amelia nodded.

"It'll be nice to have some memories in case I forget," she whispered. Carlisle and Esme exchanged a glance. Ariané started humming a tune to fill the silence. It was a lullaby. Amelia smiled, recalling how Ariané used to sing it to her when she was smaller.

"I remember that," she muttered softly.

"I thought you might," replied Ariané. At Carlisle and Esme's curious glance, she continued, "when Amelia was smaller, I sometimes babysat for the Theodores. Sometimes when practice ran a little late and Chris was still busy as work, Amelia would still be sitting in the audience waiting for us to finish. As a clarinetist, my instrument was not as in demand as a string instrument, shall we say. I'd go and sit with her. I was second clarinet at the time. I'm now first clarinet. They could cope without me for a bit."

"You'd hold me close and sing a lullaby to me. It was in French I think?" recalled Amelia.

" _A la claire fontaine_."

"Could you sing it again? Please?" begged Amelia. Ariané tapped Amelia on the nose and cleared her throat. In a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice, she began to sing.

" _À la claire fontaine_  
 _M'en allant promener_  
 _J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle_  
 _Que je m'y suis baigné_  
 _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime_  
 _Jamais je ne t'oublierai!"_

Simon joined in, _"Sous les feuilles d'un chêne,_

 _Je me suis fait sécher_  
 _Sur la plus haute branche,_  
 _Un rossignol chantait_

 _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime_  
 _Jamais je ne t'oublierai"_

 _Chante rossignol, chante,_  
 _Toi qui as le cœur gai_  
 _Tu as le cœur à rire,_  
 _Moi je l'ai à pleurer_

 _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime_  
 _Jamais je ne t'oublierai_

 _J'ai perdu mon amie,_  
 _Sans l'avoir mérité_  
 _Pour un bouquet de roses,_  
 _Que je lui refusai._

 _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime_  
 _Jamais je ne t'oublierai_

 _Je voudrais que la rose,_  
 _Fût encore au rosier_  
 _Et que ma douce amie_  
 _Fût encore à m'aimer_

 _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime_  
 _Jamais je ne t'oublierai."_

The pair concluded the lullaby. Peter put his index finger to his lips, and pointed to Amelia. Just as she had always done when she was a child when Ariané had sang to her, she was fast asleep.

"She looks so peaceful," stated Ariané, bending down to place a kiss on Amelia's cheek.

"What matters to me more is that she is happy. I can see that she is very happy with you," Simon directed his comment to Carlisle and Esme.

"Thank you, Simon. We want her to be happy too," said Carlisle.

"She is healing," broke in Ariané, "someone hurt her, but she is starting to move on. She will be okay."

"She is getting there. She broke down yesterday morning and told us everything that happened to her," said Esme honestly, taken aback by Ariané's perceptiveness, "She doesn't know this yet, but her siblings are trying to track down Jemima for her."

"Jemima, as in Amelia's Scottie dog?" interjected Peter.

"Yes. We haven't told her anything in case we can't find her."

"She stays at the Theodore's house. I've tried many a time to lure her to my house but she refuses to leave the property, and runs every time I try to catch her. Eventually we just left her. We swing by the house twice a day to feed her and refill her water bowl. In the winter, we have blankets for her, but I am always so afraid that I will get there one morning and she's gone. She's pretty old but she has some energy left. I think she's waiting for Amelia to come one last time."

"Poor thing," said Esme, "we want to bring her to Forks with us. I think it will make Amelia happy."

"I think so too."

"Emmett will be able to catch her, of that I have no doubt," stated Carlisle with a grin. Esme giggled. Simon and Ariané laughed. Peter looked confused.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi all. Updates will slow down for a little while. I have a massive exam next Friday. They can ask us literally anything from first year to fifth year, so it's a little stressful and a lot of work to revise so please bear with me. Hopefully I will be graduating in December so I ask that you be patient with me as my degree draws to a close.**

 **Thanks. CB xx**


	64. Chapter 64

**Author's Note**

 **Please note that this chapter and the next few chapters as well, will focus on both Amelia and Blythe simultaneously. This is mainly to keep the time frame the same throughout (as opposed to having one chapter focusing entirely on Amelia, then the next chapter going back in time to focus on Blythe). Please bear with me :)**

 **Thank you to my friend Chantal (who is also the person upon whom the character is Blythe is based) for coming up with a flight plan :)**

* * *

"I guess this is it," stated Amelia, staring at one of her best friends. She was close to tears. She had known that this day was coming, but it had just seemed to creep up out of nowhere. Blythe smiled at her sadly. They were at the International Departures section of the airport.

"I suppose it is, yes," agreed Blythe, extending her arms to give Amelia a hug, "I'm going to miss you, Mia. Take care of yourself, please."

"I'm going to miss you too, Blythe. Travel safely."

The girls separated. Amelia wiped away a tear as Blythe adjusted her backpack, one hand held tightly around her plane tickets and passport. The little red book in question was rather bent and was filled with the stamps of the various countries that she had visited. Blythe had clearly been busy travelling the world when she could. Amelia vowed that one day her passport would also be filled like that.

With a final nod at Carlisle and Esme, she turned her back and walked towards the security point. Once she was through, she turned one last time to wave at Amelia before disappearing around the corner. Esme found herself blinking back venomous tears – she too had grown fond of the teenaged healer and would miss her bubbly presence around the house. Blythe had become like a daughter to her. A delicate sniffle alerted her to the fact that her own daughter was sobbing up a storm. Carlisle patted her back while Amelia cried into his chest.

"Let's get her home," Esme murmured, touching the top of her daughter's head, before joining in on a group hug with the two of them.

"We needed to pop in to the concert hall, remember?" reminded Carlisle, gently pulling Amelia away from him and wrapping an arm beneath her own in an attempt at coaxing her away from the gate. Amelia was secretly hoping that Blythe would come barrelling out of the gate and announce that she was moving in with them. When she realised that this situation was not going to play out like it did in movies, she allowed her parents to lead her away. After a quick visit to see Simon and get the sheet music for the concert the following weekend, Carlisle drove to a large pet store.

"What are we doing here?" asked Amelia from the backseat. She had been studying her music in an attempt at getting her mind off of Blythe's departure.

"Edward and Bella have decided to get Renesmee a puppy," explained Carlisle. It was a little white lie, but he knew that Amelia wouldn't mind later on.

"Oh that is awesome!" Amelia cried enthusiastically, "I bet she is really excited."

"She doesn't actually know yet. It's a surprise, so your mom and I are helping out and getting a few things. Emmett and Rosalie wanted to get most of it from the pet shop in Forks but you know what Alice is like."

Amelia burst out laughing as she got out of the car. "Say no more. So, what are we looking for?"

"A basket, collar, lead, perhaps some toys," broke in Esme as they strolled towards the entrance of the store.

"What breed, and what gender?" queried Amelia. Carlisle walked ahead and grabbed a trolley. Amelia held onto the side as they began their excursion up and down the aisles.

"A female Wheaton Terrier. She's quite big actually, I believe she's a year or so."

"Seriously? Edward classifies that as a puppy?" Amelia rolled her eyes in exasperation, shaking her head.

"She's quite small," broke in Carlisle.

"Technically, Wheatons are classified as medium dogs. What is the colour theme?"

"Anything really. Edward has said that the pup will come with Renesmee when she comes to visit, and it will be easier to have her own water bowl and food bowl here as well. They have everything for their house, but Bella wanted you to get a few things for our place."

"Oh, so we are shopping for duplicates then?"

"Basically. How does this dog bed look?" interjected Esme, redirecting Amelia's attention to the beds.

"Does she need a kennel? I would imagine that she wouldn't be left alone at home, so she probably doesn't need one. That pink bed looks cute," she said, pointing to a large pink bed, different to the one Esme was holding up.

"That bed could probably hold a Great Dane," commented Carlisle, glancing at the one Amelia was looking at.

"It has little Scottie figurines on it!" she exclaimed, "it's perfect! Wheatons are part of the Scottie family after all. Besides, a Wheaton princess needs a fancy bed."

Esme stifled a giggle at the incredulous look on Carlisle's face. He glared at her. She blew him a kiss as she put the bed in the trolley. A second, smaller bed, lined with fleece was also added.

"Dogs do get cold, you know. And you guys are freezing!" exclaimed Amelia, dumping a few puppy blankets into the basket as well.

"Shall we look at collars?" asked Esme, gently leading Amelia down another aisle.

"Before we get a collar, let's look at harnesses so that she matches when she goes for a walk," stated Amelia.

"What is wrong with just a lead?" queried Carlisle, coming around the corner with the trolley.

"Dogs tend to strain at the lead. If you have just a collar, the lead will attach to it and I'm always so fearful that a dog will choke itself or something. It really just strengthens its neck muscles but you are supremely strong and could harm a dog easily. Sometimes, one doesn't always realise how strong one is. Harnesses give more control to the owner, and especially in a small dog, you can easily pick them up should danger present itself, and in bigger dogs, control them and stop them from running after wildlife or other dogs," replied Amelia absently rolling her shoulder and scanning the harnesses.

Carlisle and Esme grimaced, recalling how Emmett had accidently hurt Amelia on Thursday. She had lost her balance on the stairs and he had reached forward to grab her before she fell, and while pulling her back, had popped her shoulder out of place. He had felt so guilty and Amelia had spent the next half hour consoling him while Carlisle popped her shoulder back into place with a loud crack that had everyone wincing. She'd acted like it was no big deal, but when she wanted to have a shower, she had had to call Esme to help her undress.

"Pink or purple?" she asked, holding up the two and checking the sizes. She'd long given up looking at prices, when Alice and her parents were involved, the cost was irrelevant.

"Get both," suggested Carlisle.

"True. Her collar will need to be washed at some point and she can't walk around without a collar while it's on the washing line," agreed Amelia, putting both in the trolley. Carlisle put the corresponding colour collars in the trolley. The trio plodded along to the next aisle.

"Food?" asked Amelia.

"Already taken care of," stated Esme.

"Grooming things?"

"Likewise."

"What do we still need then?" Amelia's brow furrowed as she wracked her brain, "toys!"

"You bet."

Amelia waltzed along the aisle towards the toys, stopping at the dog coats. She selected a tartan one and a pink one, then continued to the toys. She stared at them for a long time, before a sad smile broke out on her face as she knelt down and picked one up off the bottom shelf. It was a squeaky squirrel toy.

"Jemima had one of these," she said, chuckling at the memory, "She chewed it until there was nothing left."

"Why don't you get it?" queried Esme, exchanging a look with Carlisle.

"I think Nessie's dog will like it," she smiled. She selected a few more, asking for opinions before placing them in the trolley as well. Their last stop was to get food and water bowls, which were a pale purple colour.

"Does she need a tag?" she asked.

"A tag?"

"Yeah. One of those metal tags that go on a collar with the dog's name and owner contact details."

"Oh yes, she does, but I believe that she hasn't been named yet. Why don't you pick one and we can engrave it later?"

"Which one would Nessie like?" asked Amelia, observing the multitude of tags in front of her. There were colourful ones, bronze-coloured ones and silver-coloured ones.

"Nessie would love whichever one you choose," reassured Carlisle. Amelia selected a heart-shaped silver one. Jemima had once had a tag like that. She sighed softly.

"Everything alright?" asked Esme as she led Amelia towards the checkout counter.

"Just thinking about Jemima and wondering what happened to her. I hope she got adopted by a nice family," she said wistfully.

"I'm sure she did," soothed Esme. In reality, Jemima had been caught by Emmett the previous day. The feisty dog had struggled while he tried to wrestle her into the Jeep. Leah, who had accompanied him, had had the sense of mind to bring a jersey that Amelia had been wearing and when she had smelt it, she had instantly calmed down, recalling the scent of her young owner. She had curled up and fallen asleep on top it on the drive back to Forks. Leah and Seth had kept her at the reservation for the night, and while Esme, Carlisle and Amelia had taken Blythe to the airport, she was being transported to her new home at the Cullen mansion.

She had been washed and groomed at the local groomers, and looked adorable with her little pink bow in her fur for all of five minutes, before she'd managed to remove it with what could only be described as a look of disgust. The vet had looked her over and declared her to be healthy, albeit old and a little thin, and had promptly microchipped her. Should Jemima ever go missing, there were seven numbers to contact.

* * *

Blythe took a deep breath and forced herself to continue down the corridor towards her departure gate. She already missed the Cullens. She could vaguely hear Amelia crying before she moved out of hearing range. She made her way to the lounge, and found a bookstore. She decided to spoil herself a little, and picked up a few books that ought to keep her entertained for a while. She hoped the in-flight movie would be decent. After browsing the store for a while longer, she paid for her purchases and left the store, slowly making her way to the departure gate, seating herself.

Nearly ten hours of flying would take her directly from Seattle to Frankfurt, then a shorter flight, a mere 55 minutes, would take her from Frankfurt to her home in Bremen. She'd booked herself in Economy class, and was hoping that the flight would not be too full. She had hunted that morning, and human blood barely bothered her, but she still disliked the thought of enduring a long flight with so many humans. Her flight was announced, so she stood up and joined the queue. A surprise awaited her when she showed her passport and ticket.

"Ms Casper, you have been upgraded to First Class," stated the hostess. Blythe smiled in exasperation. Her phone buzzed and she smiled at the hostess before taking her passport and ticket, and heading down the passage to board the plane. After she had taken her seat in the luxurious cabin, which was relatively empty and isolated from the rest of the passengers, conveniently at the top of the aeroplane (she was definitely going to travel First Class again), she took her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open, glancing at the text from Alice.

' _It was Carlisle. Have a safe flight. A x_ '.

She smiled softly, before texting her back, then typing a new one to Carlisle.

' _Thanks for the upgrade. Much appreciated. Please keep me updated re Amelia. Blythe._ '

Her phone buzzed in response a minute later, with a picture attached to it. She opened it up and smiled at Amelia holding up two harnesses and speaking to Esme.

' _You're welcome. Enjoy the flight. Esme says to come and visit again soon. Amelia is in her element, lecturing us about the qualities of a harness versus a lead. See you again soon. Please let us know when you arrive in Bremen. Carlisle.'_

 _'Harness is the better option. I'm sure she will be delighted to have Jemima back. Will do so. Take care of my friend. Blythe._ ' She typed back, before turning off her phone and putting it in her backpack.

She then took her iPod and one of the books out in preparation for the trip. Before long, and after the mandatory safety demonstrations, the A320 was pushed out of the bay and it slowly moved along the runway, coming to a standstill as it prepared to join the runway. She heard an approaching aeroplane and glanced out of the window as a Boeing descended and touched down onto the runway.

A few moments later, her aeroplane started moving again and slowly moved over the first runway and onto the second, before turning right and coming to a halt again. She heard the engines kick in properly and felt the jolt of power as the plane began to propel, gaining speed as it sped down the runway and lifted off of the ground. She glanced out the window and saw the Seattle skyline, the buildings getting smaller and smaller until they levelled out, miles above the city. She felt a pang of loss, realising for the first time just how much the Cullens meant to her. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she turned on her iPod, pushed the buds into her ears and pressed play, then picked up her book and settled into her seat, ready to tackle the next few hours.

* * *

Miles below, in the car park of a pet store, an ailing human teenager and her father watched the plane take off.

"Are you sure it's Blythe's plane?" asked Amelia, squinting up at the aeroplane as it rapidly gained altitude. Carlisle glanced at his watch.

"It's the correct airline and time of departure," he stated, "it's her alright."

Amelia bit back tears again, and whispered softly, "farewell, my friend."


	65. Chapter 65

"No. I don't want a chicken sandwich," stated Amelia sleepily, swatting away the hand that was trying to wake her up. Carlisle chuckled softly.

"It's time to get up, Amelia," he crooned cheerfully. Amelia groaned loudly, eyes finally snapping open. She was disorientated and wanted to return to lala-land, where someone was apparently trying to coerce her into eating a chicken sandwich.

Amelia had fallen asleep in the car while waiting for Esme to finish up in the pet store. She'd had the heart-shaped dog tag engraved with Jemima's name while Carlisle and Amelia had taken a slow walk to the Mercedes. Exhausted, she'd sat down in the car and rested her eyes for 'just a minute'. To her father's amusement, she'd promptly fallen asleep. He'd buckled her in and covered her in a blanket while he had waited for Esme to return.

They had driven to Port Angeles where the rest of the family was waiting for them at the 'cute little coffee shop' that Carlisle and Esme had wanted to surprise her with on her birthday. Blythe had suggested it actually, knowing that the distraction would be good for Amelia. Esme had gone inside to meet up with the others, spying Emmett's Jeep, the Volvo, the Porsche and Jacob's Volkswagen in the lot. That left Carlisle with the challenge of waking up the dark-haired beauty who was murmuring about poultry.

"Where are we?" she queried, more alert now.

"Port Angeles. Do you remember on your birthday how your mom and I wanted to take you to a coffee shop to celebrate but for obvious reasons, we could not?"

"Yeah," Amelia grimaced, recalling what had happened in the bathroom with her mother and Carmen.

"Well, Blythe recommended that we take you here today to help you get your mind off her departure."

"And now we are here," she concluded, unbuckling her seat belt and running a hand through her hair. It was all messy from her sleep, "my hair must look terrible."

"That's what you are worried about?" Carlisle asked incredulously, helping Amelia out of the car.

"Dude, I'm in public. I can't be seen looking like a tramp! I'm already so noticeable," she commented drily, pulling the hair elastic out of her hair and running her fingers through her hair in a last ditch attempt at taming it.

"Whatever you say, _dude_ ," retorted Carlisle, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. A smile was playing on his lips. Amelia glanced at him and started laughing. He held his hand out for the hair elastic.

"You can do up a girl's hair?" she queried, still giggling, as he tied her hair up for her.

"Why do you find that so surprising? I've been married for 80 years," he stated nonchalantly, "all done."

Amelia took a moment to survey herself in the reflection of the car door. "I am impressed."

"Why thank you, milady," he bowed, kissed her hand and linked arms with her, before leading her into the restaurant. Amelia waved at Emmett as he passed them, the car keys to the Jeep in his hand. She waved at Seth, who was waiting for her at the door, thereby missing Carlisle handing his car keys to Emmett as the two walked past each other.

"Hey Mia!" he greeted enthusiastically.

"Seth!" she called, unlinking her arm from Carlisle's. Seth bounded down the stairs, picked her up and spun her around, while she giggled with laughter, "it's so good to see you!"

"It is fantastic to see you too, Mia," he iterated, setting her back down on her feet. Her giggles had attracted the attention of the rest of her family, who stood casually observing her from various viewpoints. Rosalie nonchalantly leaned against the doorway, Esme stood next to her. Alice and Renesmee were watching from the window. Carlisle smiled and walked past them, greeting Leah as she bounded out as well.

"Leah!"

"Hey Mia!" she smiled, giving her friend a hug. There was none of the usual 'how are you feeling?' business that her friends had given her. It never failed to annoy her, and she was grateful for Seth and Leah acting like they had only seen her yesterday rather than a few weeks ago.

"Let's go inside," called Seth. Both he and Leah linked arms with Amelia and led her into the coffee shop. Once seated, Esme cleared her throat and all attention was on her. Emmett had returned, but Jacob was mysteriously missing.

"We have a surprise for you, Amelia. Two, actually," she began.

"Oh dear," she sighed, catching sight of Emmett's grin. That was never a good sign.

"It's a nice surprise, don't worry," she reassured, "we told you a lie today."

"Ok," Amelia nodded, frowning. They weren't going to send her back to the home, where they? The conversation she had overheard the previous night came flooding back to her. The family had been debating when to tell her the news about the adoption process, but she'd missed the part where Carlisle had told them all that it had been approved. It had been a long, sleepless night. She broke out into a cold sweat, heart hammering. Before Esme could continue, Edward held up his hand. Esme frowned but allowed him to interrupt.

"No, Mia. We are not going to send you back to the home," he reassured. Amelia nodded slowly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Never in a million years," reassured Rosalie, who was sitting next to her, squeezing her hand softly.

"On that note, I guess we need to fast forward to surprise number two. Your adoption was finalised last night," continued Esme, a massive smile breaking out on her face.

"You're officially a Cullen now," interjected Carlisle. Amelia stared at them both, unable to believe her ears.

"What?" she whispered.

"The paperwork was approved. Carlisle and Esme are no longer your foster parents, they are your legal adoptive parents. You are Amelia Cullen now," broke in Alice. Nothing could have wiped off the smile on Amelia's face at that point in time. Carlisle and Esme both came to embrace her, so did the others, even Jasper put aside his discomfort in order to give his littlest of sisters a hug.

"There is something that we want to give you. Esme's been bothering me about giving it to you sooner but Alice convinced her that you liked tradition as much as I do," stated Carlisle as he placed a wooden box in front of Amelia. It was rectangular and smooth, with her name intricately carved on the lid. She ran her fingers along the lid.

"Seth made it for you," broke in Leah, nudging her brother with a proud smile adorning her features. Seth blushed a brilliant shade of red and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"It's beautiful. Thank you so much, Seth," Amelia said sincerely.

"Open it up," he urged, eager to have the attention off him for a change.

Amelia did as she was told and gasped softly when she caught sight of the delicate silver bracelet nestled within the box.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, gently taking it out of the box and admiring it. There was a small charm on the centre of it, that could be removed and placed on a longer chain to be worn as a necklace should she wish.

"Do you know what it is?" queried Renesmee enthusiastically. Amelia caught her eye and nodded.

"It's the Cullen coat of arms," she stated, before putting it back in the box and shutting the lid, "thank you so much."

"You are welcome," said Carlisle, "welcome, officially at least, to the family."

"Now for your other surprise," broke in Bella hurriedly, hearing Jacob starting to protest. The person in question was sitting outside holding onto the small black fluffy bundle that was squirming in his arms, anxious to get to her owner.

"Surprise number one," stated Esme, "it's about the little lie we told you earlier. We didn't go shopping at the pet store for Renesmee, we went shopping for you."

"Oh?" said Amelia in surprise.

"We weren't lying when we said that it wasn't a puppy. She is an adult. She's quite old actually. She's been waiting for a very long time to see you," continued Esme.

"I give up," the Cullens heard Jacob mutter, walking into the room and depositing the dog in his arms onto the ground. The small dog streaked across the coffee shop floor and jumped up onto Amelia's lap, placing her front paws on her chest and licking the daylight out of Amelia's face. Her hands tightened around the small dog as she gently pulled her back and observed her, recognition lighting up her face.

"Jemima?!"

"The one and only," confirmed Emmett. Amelia was speechless. She held the dog closer to her and planted lots of kisses on her beloved Scottie's head, crooning softly to her.

"I think she's happy," stated Leah softly.

"You have no idea," grinned Jasper.

* * *

The afternoon passed quickly. Jemima's original pink collar was placed on her neck, with her new dog tag glinting in the sunlight. She looked rather pleased with herself. Amelia giggled, recalling how obsessed she was with her collar, hating it when someone removed it for whatever reason, and how nicely she had sat every time her collar was put back on. The teenager and her dog refused to be separated from each other. After eating chocolate cake, and having to hold it out of reach of her dog, Amelia was tired. It was a good kind of tired. As the family made their way to their cars, Emmett was telling her how he had struggled to get Jemima into the car.

"She was at my house the entire time?" she asked incredulously.

"Peter kept her fed. She refused to leave the property even in winter."

"Whoa," she breathed, tickling the dog on her tummy.

"We got a basket for Jemima," explained Carlisle, unlocking his Mercedes. Emmett had installed it when Seth and Leah were distracting her earlier. Amelia observed the basket, which was suspended off the seat, with a soft lining and metal links on it, "let's get Jemima's harness on then I can show you how it works."

Jemima willingly stepped into the harness and stood patiently, yawning widely as she did. Amelia giggled and adjusted the harness and clipped the lead on. Carlisle lifted Jemima up and placed her in the basket, securing her lead to one of the metal links.

"See how the two join? Now she can move around but can't get out of the basket," he pointed.

"Handy. Now she can look out the window but can't get hurt," muttered Amelia, shutting the door behind her and ambling along to the other side, climbing it into the backseat and buckling herself in. She patted Jemima on the head.

"Precisely."

"Thank you for finding her," she said sincerely, leaning across her seat to plant a kiss on her dog's head.

"You're welcome," chorused Esme and Carlisle.

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" asked a kindly airhostess.

"No thank you," said Blythe politely, glancing up from her book. She was on the second one already.

"Call if you need something," smiled the hostess, before leaving Blythe alone. The cabinet lights were dimmed shortly thereafter as night began to fall. The plane had just flown over the last bit of land that defined the United States. Down below, miles of Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. She sighed softly, wondering what the Cullens were up to. They were planning on reuniting Amelia and Jemima. The adoption had also been finalised, so there was plenty reason to celebrate. Blythe felt a pang of something –sadness? Envy? Wistfulness? – that she could not be there to join in.

Yes, it was definitely wistfulness. She was used to being alone, but her time with the Cullens reminded her of what it was like when her parents were still alive, all those years ago. She was 190 years old. Forever 19, she had watched from a distance as her mother, heartbroken, continue her life until she eventually had passed as well. Bremen was now her home, but she was still alone, and had been for more than 170 years. Solitude was her friend, but so was Amelia. She put down her book with a sigh and stood up to act like a human and stretch her legs, before sitting back down and selecting a film to watch from the in-flight movie options.

* * *

"Oh, how sweet," cooed Esme, snapping a picture of Amelia and Jemima, before tiptoeing out of the room and racing down the stairs to show the others. Amelia and Jemima had both fallen asleep. Instead of sleeping on her pink bed like it was intended, the Scottie had jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to Amelia, her head resting gently on Amelia's chest. The sleepy dog had fallen asleep as well, mindful of all of the tubes snaking out from beneath the covers.

"Aaaaw," chorused Alice and Rosalie.

"Women," muttered Emmett, turning his attention back to his video game.

"Amelia is happy. So is Jemima," commented Jasper, "I've never experienced such joy from Amelia before. It was so refreshingly different."

"That is good," muttered Carlisle absently, listening to the sound of two heartbeats echo through the house, one canine, and one human. The human heart was failing rapidly as the lungs deteriorated further. Amelia had stopped Blythe from helping her now. He sighed softly.

"What's wrong?" queried Esme, sensitive to her husband's sudden change in mood.

"Amelia's health," he stated. They fell silent as they listened to her.

"She wants to have her feeding tube removed," whispered Alice.

"What?" exclaimed Carlisle.

"Well, what is going to happen to it when she is turned? It needs to come out somehow."

"She needs nutrition more than ever right now."

"I agree, but please talk it over with her and consult me when you do."

"Alright," Carlisle agreed begrudgingly. Esme took the break in conversation to discuss the following day's events - Amelia's 'date' with Steven Smith.

"Steven Smith is coming over tomorrow," she lectured sternly, "no funny business, you hear?"

"Define funny business," said Emmett, pausing his video game and turning his attention to his pseudo-mother. Edward chuckled as he read Emmett's thoughts.

"Jasper, empath or not, no invoking feelings of terror or anything else untoward. Emmett, no pranks or muscle flexing or anything that may intimidate the boy. Edward, do not glare at the poor boy. I know your glare is your trademark, particularly when humans are involved, but you will not participate in any behaviour that will deter him and therefore wreck Amelia's afternoon. Rosalie, do not, and I repeat, _do not,_ even think of ripping his head off," she paused to let her words sink in.

"Alice, Bella and Renesmee, do not ask him awkward questions. Carlisle, no lecturing the boy. He's brave enough to face the wrath of all of you. If I hear a peep out of any of you, so help me I will remove each and every one of you out of this house. If my request is too much to ask for, you had better make yourselves scarce tomorrow afternoon. Go hunting or whatever. I do not care. Just leave your little sister in peace," Esme ranted, crossing her arms and glaring at the group in front of her. Any protests they may have had were silenced immediately.

"Scouts' honour," promised Emmett solemnly.

"I think it would be best if I went for a hunt," remarked Jasper, "I do not wish to drain the boy."

"Jasper, your self-control is pretty good. I would not worry about that, but if you feel more comfortable not being around then I will not stop you," smiled Esme.

"We are going to visit Charlie, so we won't be around," stated Bella. Esme nodded.

"I'll behave," promised Carlisle.

"You'd better. The last time this was discussed, it led to an ugly fight. I will not put my daughter through that trauma again," Esme spoke softly. Carlisle grimaced at the memory.

"I'll join Jasper on his hunt, but will keep in touch if I see anything regarding Amelia's health," promised Alice.

"I'm not leaving," stated Rosalie, "but I will be on my best behaviour. So will Emmett."

"It's settled then. I could do with a hunt, join me, Carlisle?"


	66. Chapter 66

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent. Please turn off all electronic devices, raise the window covers and return your seats to the upright position," a pre-recorded message blared through the speakers, first in German, then again in English. Blythe snapped out of her reverie. She turned off her iPod, pulling the earbuds from her ears and wrapping the cord around it, before stowing it in her backpack. She packed away her books as well – she was midway through the fourth one already – before settling back into her seat.

The morning sunlight broke through the clouds as she glanced out the window, watching the Frankfurt skyline come closer and closer. She was eternally grateful for the hooded sweatshirt that Alice had made her carry with her. She pulled the hood up and over her head to hide the sparkling. _Frankfurt am Main_ , Germany's fifth largest city, came into view. From her window, she could see Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral, its tall steeple piercing the dense clouds that covered the city. A host of skyscrapers, the _Commerzbank_ Tower, _Messeturm_ \- the tallest building in all of Europe – and even the headquarters of the European Central Bank were obvious as the plane lost altitude in its uniform, controlled manor. Somewhere on the other side of the aeroplane lay the _Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof_ , the central station of Frankfurt.

The aeroplane finally touched down on the expansive runway of _Flughafen Frankfurt am Main_. There were plans to construct a fourth runway at some point, with construction to commence either next year or early 2010. The plane slowed and gently taxied off the runway and made its way to the arrival gate.

" _Meine Damen und Herren, herzlich willkommen am Frankfurter Flughafen. Wir hoffen, Sie hatten einen angenehmen Flug. Es ist 8:45 Uhr. Wir bedanken uns, dass Sie sich für Lufthansa entschieden haben und wünschen lhnen eine angenehme und sichere Weiterreise,"_ spoke the head stewardess. She promptly translated the message into English as well, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Frankfurt airport. We trust you enjoyed your flight. The time is 8:45am. Thank you for choosing Lufthansa and we wish you a safe and pleasant onwards journey."

The seatbelt light turned off and Blythe hastened to unbuckle herself. She stood up and hoisted her backpack onto her back before checking that she had not left anything behind. A perk of travelling first class was that they were let off the plane before all of the other passengers. Blythe heaved a massive sigh of relief as she stepped off the massive airbus that had brought her from America to Europe. Deutschland. The longest part of her journey was now over.

A four and a half hour lay-over awaited. Blythe hurried inside before the sun broke through the clouds again. At least she was staying with the same airline, so her baggage would automatically be transferred to the next flight. But first, Customs. Fortunately, she cleared it quite quickly, being a German citizen returning to her home country made for a quick clearance. Before long, she was heading out of the international arrivals terminal and into the domestic departures one. She passed through that security check point and made her way to a coffee shop that was not too busy.

Turning on her cellphone, she sent a quick text message to Alice, not that it was necessary. Spying the latest edition of the local newspaper, _die Frankfurter Allgemeine_ , she picked it up and read it from cover to cover in far too short a time for her liking. She glanced at her watch – still two and a half hours to go. She sighed internally, then rifled through her backpack, pulling out her laptop and powering it up. She checked her email, before typing a quick one out and sending it to Amelia.

She finally left the coffee shop after extensively abusing the wireless internet and decided to explore the shops in the airport lounge. She purchased a postcard which she was reassured would make it to Washington, as well as a few odds and ends that could make up a parcel to send to her friend. She'd bulk it up with some things from Bremen, perhaps a hooded sweatshirt with 'Deutschland' or 'Bremen' printed on it.

Blythe still had an hour and a half to kill by the time she was done shopping, so she decided to go and sit at the boarding gate to wait. Boredom was setting in and she found herself reminiscing about the things that Emmett would probably have gotten up to should he have to endure such a long lay-over. Knowing him, he'd probably scare the passing tourists. She turned on her iPod and tried to immerse herself in the music but even that could not distract her. An eternity later, her flight was called and she had to stifle a laugh as a very enthusiastic elderly lady charged towards the gate, determined to be the first in the queue. It was a pointless exercise really, they'd all leave Frankfurt at the same time anyway.

The flight from Frankfurt to Bremen was just under an hour. As luck would have it, Blythe was seated next to the elderly lady, who made enthusiastic small talk for the duration of the short flight. By the end of it, Blythe knew the lady's entire life story, but most importantly, that she was visiting Bremen to see her young grandchildren.

"And you, my dear?" queried the grandmother when she had finally run out of things to say. Blythe did not know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or burst into tears.

"There is not much to tell. I am returning home from an exchange trip to Washington State in the US," she explained.

"I am sure your parents will be delighted to see you," gushed the elderly woman.

"Unfortunately they perished many years ago. I barely remember them," she whispered. It was partially true at least – they had died in the 1800s after all.

"I am so sorry to hear that, my dear," sympathised her companion.

"It is alright. I have grown accustomed to their absence."

"Tell me, the people you stayed with in America, what were they like?"

"They were so kind and loving. The parents have adopted six children. One of their children is married with a young daughter. I grew close to their youngest child, Amelia. She had only been with them for two weeks when we met but they had gotten to know each other previously. Mia's adoption was finalised on Friday. She is very sick though, and it was hard to say goodbye to her knowing that I may never see her again. I miss her dreadfully," she stretched the truth slightly. She told her a little more about the Cullens.

"I am sure she will be fine. There are many methods of keeping in touch," the elderly lady stated, patting her on the shoulder, quickly realising that Blythe did not particularly wish to dwell on the subject, "remember, they love you too. Why not return to them one day? They consider you a part of their family as it is."

Shortly thereafter, the small plane touched down on the tarmac. Blythe felt an overwhelming sense of relief. At long last, she was home. After disembarking the plane and bidding her fondest farewells to her elderly companion, she went to collect her suitcase. As she made her way to the exit, she witnessed the elderly lady bending down as three excited young children came barrelling into her open arms, calling for their grandmother. Her joy was palpable, her smile as wide as her face would allow. Blythe smiled at the joyful reunion, perhaps a little sad that she was not part of it, but happy for the older woman nevertheless. Their eyes met one last time and they nodded to each other in parting, before Blythe walked through the doors and out into the afternoon cloud.

"Taxi?" queried a kindly taxi driver.

"Yes please," she said, moving towards his vehicle. She gave him her address and they left. Thirty minutes later, they pulled up outside the extensive manor house that Blythe called home. It had been in the family since before her father's time, and Blythe was the last descendant of the Casper family. It was hers, and only hers, and she was responsible for its upkeep.

A gentle breeze blew fresh, salty sea air from the North Sea some 40 odd miles away. The faint salty tang was there, even if Blythe was the only one who could appreciate it. The manor house itself has three storeys, and from the topmost floor, one could see the Weser River which divided the town. There were many hills in the town, and the climate was mild. The second floor housed her room, which had a balcony. From it, she could view the sun as it rose over the _Liebfrauenkirche_ , the oldest church in all of Bremen, and she found that it brought her a great sense of peace. The back of the manor seemed to brag with its stunning view of the lake, which on a clear day, was as blue as the sky itself. A neat garden, with trees lined up in regular intervals, beckoned the viewer. A large water feature was also present. There was a lot more grass than Blythe preferred, but this was an old manor house, and its design was fitting at the time it was built. It was prime real estate with a history nearly as long as the town itself. Her father had often told her stories of his life growing up in this very house, stories of her family's history, and how they played a role in founding the town all those centuries ago.

Blythe pulled her house keys out of her backpack and unlocked the front door. Something seemed to be amiss. Someone had recently been inside and cleaned the house for her, removing all traces of four weeks' worth of dust that had fallen during her absence. Even so, it was not the lack of dust that bothered her, nor was it the detectable burn in her throat from her travels. It was the stillness that struck her the most. At the Cullen house, there was never a moment of silence. Even if Jasper and Emmett were not trying to outdo each other whilst playing a video game, or quiet conversation amongst lovers, there was always noise. Be it the hum of the refrigerator, the whirring and clicking of the oxygen concentrator that kept Amelia alive, or even the thud of a failing human heart that beat so sickly that one wondered how it even managed to beat, there was always some degree of noise. In that moment, Blythe realised just how deafening silence could be.

* * *

Amelia awoke the next morning to a very enthusiastic Scottish terrier sitting on her chest, sniffing her face. This was followed by a plethora of canine 'kisses' as Jemima licked every last inch of Amelia's face in greeting. When the human of the pair started giggling, Jemima huffed in response. Her laughter attracted the attention of her family. Esme flew up the stairs to investigate.

"Good morning, my precious dog child," cooed Amelia, holding Jemima while she sat up. Esme knocked on the door and heard Amelia pause, calling out a greeting to whomever it was on the other side of the door, beckoning them.

"Morning sweetheart," greeted Esme, walking into the room and sitting down on the edge of Amelia's bed. Carlisle popped his head around the door.

"Morning Amelia," he grinned, observing his daughter and her enthusiastic canine companion.

"Morning Mom, Dad. Hey guys," she called a little louder, knowing that her siblings would hear her if they were within hearing range of the house. Four separate greetings echoed the sentiment.

"Your two weeks of IVs are up," stated Carlisle, entering the room and making a beeline for Amelia's IV pole.

"Yay!" she cheered softly and redirected her attention back to her dog, "did you hear that Jemima? No more yucky IVs for me! Yes that's right!"

Carlisle chuckled and disconnected the IV line and the feeds and Amelia gingerly swung her legs over the side of the bed before hightailing it to the bathroom.

"She is smitten," declared Esme, patting Jemima on the head. The terrier licked her hand, tail wagging.

"She is the happiest I have ever seen her," remarked Carlisle, untangling Amelia's nasal cannula and holding out of Jemima's reach. The canine was sniffing it and contemplating how long it would take for her to chew through it. He gave her a tummy rub, before picking her up and carrying her down the stairs, taking her outside. Jemima threw him a look of absolute disgust as soon as her delicate paws touched the damp grass and snorted loudly, before disappearing from view in order to do her morning business. Amelia rejoined her mother and swapped over her oxygen line devices. The pair then made their way down the stairs. Amelia sat down on the kitchen floor and picked up Jemima as soon as she entered the house, drying her feet off with a towel that Alice had gotten her specifically for Jemima's use.

"Oh, so we are playing the towel game, are we?" she asked the dog, amused. Jemima had started growling playfully and was trying to bite the towel. She covered Jemima with the towel, giggling at the unimpressed snort she received in return.

"Time for tea?" queried Esme.

"Time for physio," broke in Carlisle, pulling Amelia to her feet.

"I just need to feed her quickly," stated Amelia, opening up a cupboard and getting some pellets out. She filled up the food bowl. Jemima's ears perked up and she dropped the towel, "sit nicely. Nicely, Jemima!"

With a heavy sigh, the dog sat down and stared at Amelia. The teenager opened up the refrigerator and dug around a bit.

"Hey Mom, do we have any left-over meat?" she asked, moving a container with left-over pasta in it and looking behind it.

"No, but we have some cocktail sausages on the top shelf behind the fruit juice," replied Esme. She was leaning against the sink and watching the scene with interest. Jemima whined softly. Esme glanced down at her and decided to tease her, "your child is hungry, Amelia."

"Jemima, tell your grandmother to stop hiding the meat in the topmost, furthermost corner of the fridge. You can't help that you are a carnivore. Veggies are just so gross, hey _woefiekind_?" replied Amelia, opening up the sausages and placing two on top of the dog pellets. She sealed the packet and replaced it. Jemima was still sitting patiently, and as soon as her food bowl was placed on the floor in front of her, she snatched the sausages and sauntered out of the room.

" _Woefiekind_?" inquired Esme.

"It means dog child. It's cute," replied Amelia, scrunching up her nose.

"Amelia! Your dog is eating her sausages on the carpet!" called Emmett. Esme charged out of the kitchen to inspect the damage and Amelia could hear her chiding the dog.

"Some things never change," muttered Amelia, filling up the water bowl. Carlisle chuckled.

"Time for physio, kiddo," he stated, gently pushing her out of the kitchen.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Again, many thanks to Chantal for translating the appropriate texts into German. Thank you to everyone who wished me luck for yesterday's exam.**


	67. Chapter 67

"May I come in?" Carlisle's voice sounded at the door. Amelia glanced up from where she was sitting in the library. Emmett had dragged one of the couches over to the window for her and she was sitting in it, basking in the weak sunlight that managed to stream through.

"Sure," she welcomed, shifting up so that he could sit next to her. A soft tinkling noise sounded and suddenly Jemima burst into the room. She skidded to a halt, then backed up and took a running leap, landing on her owner's lap with a sigh. She squirmed until she was seated comfortably and huffed at Carlisle in indignation for hogging part of the couch, before resting her head on Amelia's knee, "thank you for finding her, Dad."

"You're welcome. How did you come up with the name Jemima?" he queried in curiosity, watching the small dog drift off to sleep. It was rather a grand name to give such a small dog. He recalled once treating a boy around 5 years of age who had been responsible for naming his Dachshund. The poor dog had been given the highly imaginative name of Shorty. Another young patient of his, a little girl, had told him the tragic tale of how she had named her dog Mr Rainbow Leprechaun, and had been disgusted when Mr Rainbow Leprechaun had had a litter of puppies the following year. Both of the stories had made him roar with laughter at the time. Amelia had been two when she had been given Jemima and had given her a surprisingly mature name.

"My mom always used to read Beatrix Potter to me when I was younger before I went to bed," she explained.

"The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck," concluded Carlisle, imagining a toddler-sized Amelia being tucked into bed, eagerly listening to a bedtime story. It brought a smile to his face.

"Precisely," Amelia sighed, picking up the remote for the CD player in the library and turning the volume down so that she could converse with her father. Carlisle cocked his head slightly and listened to the music, recognition lighting up his features.

"The 1812 Overture?" he queried.

"Tchaikovsky and his canons," she quipped, "Only he would think that sticking seven canons into an overture is completely acceptable, even if it was the early 1800s at the time."

"Let's not forget the church bells," he chuckled wryly, recalling a time where he had listened to the very piece being played, with real canons being fired off. The church bells had been off beat but had still been an enjoyable evening of music.

"You've heard it before, haven't you?" Amelia stated.

"I may have, yes," his eyes twinkled.

"Let me guess, you attended the premier?"

"That I did."

"No way!" she squealed.

"I believe 'yes way' is the appropriate response to that phrase," mused Carlisle, "it was magnificent to witness."

"I'll bet!"

A gentle nudge alerted Amelia back to the present. She glanced down to see Jemima roll over in her sleep. She gingerly stood up and picked up her dog.

"I'm going to take her to my room," she explained, "she'll be comfortable in her bed."

Carlisle smiled and watched her go. Curiosity overtook him and he stood up, tiptoeing out of the library. He peered around Amelia's bedroom door, and watched her kneel down, placing her canine companion in her pink Scottie-themed dog bed and covering her with a blanket. She kissed her head gently, and whispered how she loved Jemima and had missed her greatly. She placed a chew toy next to her, and patted her head one last time.

"Enjoying yourself, Dad?" she whispered lowly so as not to disturb the sleeping terrier. She turned around and met his gaze head-on.

"How did you know?" Carlisle was gobsmacked that his daughter had noticed him.

"I know when I am being watched," she explained. Carlisle entered the room and pulled her up off the floor, "Thanks Dad."

"Anytime, kiddo," he replied, kissing her forehead gently and leading her back to the library.

"You seem like you want to talk about something," observed Amelia, her green eyes missing nothing. She sat cross-legged on the couch, a blanket covering her. Carlisle stared at her for a second, he often forgot just how observant his youngest child was.

She was fully capable of turning a blind eye when the situation demanded it, like three days ago, when she had conveniently decided that she needed a long soak in the bathtub, followed by a very lengthy rehearsal of her solo piece for the upcoming weekend's concert when she sensed that her parents needed some private time, and had promptly disappeared for nearly two hours. Carlisle could have kissed her in gratitude when she had disappeared. It had allowed him and Esme some desperately needed time alone, away from the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the vampire members of their family.

"How are you feeling about your 'hot date'," he made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "with Steven?"

Amelia blinked and observed her father suspiciously. What was he hinting at? After finding no trace of malice in his voice, and no hint of anger, aggression or anything untoward, she considered his words.

"A little nervous I suppose," she remarked.

"You suppose?" he chuckled, "sweetheart, we can all feel your tension. Your appetite has all but vanished. You've been pacing. You spent about 15 minutes in your closet this morning, no doubt deciding on what to wear and now you are listening to music, which is something you do when you are doing homework or want to switch off from the world. Seeing that you are not doing any homework, I reckon it is the latter. Talk to your old man. Tell me what is going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"Pretty head, yeah right," she snorted.

"Amelia," Carlisle warned.

"A guy I like is coming to my house to watch a film. He will meet my parents. The last time they saw him, it was under less than pleasant circumstances," she stated, head downcast.

"And you are worried about me after my explosion last weekend?" Carlisle asked gently, lifting her head up so that their gazes might meet. Amelia nodded slowly, an expression of fear breaking out over her features and anxiety radiating off of her body. She trembled slightly and bit her lower lip, once again averting her gaze.

"I am truly sorry for what happened last weekend, Amelia," he spoke quietly, guilt hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"It's okay. We both said some things that we didn't mean," she replied diplomatically, determined not to let her worries override her.

"I'm glad you told us what happened," he stated, opening up his arms wide. To his delight, a shy smile broke out on his daughter's face as she crawled into his lap. He secured the blanket around her and held her close to him.

"Me too," she concluded, effectively ending that aspect of their conversation.

"So, where do I clean my shotgun when young Mr-I'm-a-star-football-player stinks my house up with his atrocious scent?" he teased.

"Dad!"

* * *

Blythe packed away the last of her clothes and stepped back to her suitcase in order to pack away her shoes. Alice being Alice meant that Blythe had an entire wardrobe of new clothes to pack away. That was just clothes. There were over a dozen pairs of shoes to try to home. Blythe groaned internally as she began to take them all out of her suitcase and match the pairs up before strolling over to the cupboard and wondering where she was going to fit them all. She packed away a few pairs, before heading back to her suitcase to pack it away.

As she was zipping it up, she caught sight of gift wrapping tucked neatly in the bottom of the suitcase. She paused, and eased it out of the corner. It was a present, small and rectangular in shape. There was no card attached to it. Frowning, she ripped open the paper in a manner than would make Emmett proud. She smiled as she took it in, and her eyes filled with tears.

It was a picture of her and Amelia, taken in Amelia's room, as well as a photo album. The two of them had been messing around with the camera that Amelia had received for her birthday, and the result was several photographs that would never see the light of day, and a few decent ones to. Amelia had printed off one of the decent ones and popped it in a photo frame, gift wrapped it and snuck it into Blythe's suitcase. She put it down, and opened up the album, only to be greeted by the faces of all of the people whom she had encountered during her stay in Forks.

The shapeshifter pack featured prominently, with Seth and Leah featuring in several photographs with Amelia. Blythe wondered briefly if Seth had a crush on Amelia. There were some shots with Daniella, Narcisse and Amy taken in the cafeteria - how Amelia had gotten hold of them was beyond Blythe as she had not returned to school at the time that the photographs were taken. Then there was another one - a moment in time preserved on film with the five girls during the sleepover when Carlisle had dragged a somewhat reluctant Esme off to Seattle for a weekend getaway for her birthday.

The rest of the album was filled with pictures of the Cullens and to a lesser extent, the Denalis. A snapshot from the Benaroya competition when Esme had all but forced Blythe to be in a photo with them, another one of the girls with Simon and Ariané, instruments held askew. Another snapshot with Alair, the two healers laughing over a story that Samantha had been telling them. She thought back to her last encounter with Amelia, bidding her friend farewell, only to hear her fall to pieces once she turned the corner, Carlisle rushing to reassure her. Carlisle and Esme - the patriarch and matriarch of the family, the ones who had sat her down and asked if she wanted to stay with them permanently. She found herself reliving that memory:

 _"Blythe, do you mind if the three of us have a little chat?" asked Carlisle. Blythe nodded and they went to sit down on one of the couches._

 _"Is everything alright, Carlisle?" asked Blythe in concern. She racked her brain to think of something she had done wrong, but came up blank._

 _"Everything is fine, sweetheart. You haven't done anything wrong," promised Esme._

 _"Ok, that is a relief," said Blythe, sighing in obvious relief._

 _"We wanted to know what your plans are when the school exchange is over. You've been in Forks for nearly 3 weeks, so I imagine you have little more than a week left with us?"_

 _"Correct. I leave next Saturday, so I have two more weeks left of school, although I will not be going in on the last Friday because I need to pack up my things."_

 _"We have a proposition for you. We were wondering if you'd like to move in with us," said Carlisle._

 _"For how long?"_

 _"Indefinitely. Esme and I consider you a daughter, and the kids think of you as a sister."_

 _"We worry that you're going to be all alone," murmured Esme._

 _"I've been around for nearly 200 years, Esme. You really don't need to worry about me," she teased gently, "I'd really like to see more of you all in the future, Amelia in particular. Please do keep in touch if nothing else. I respectfully decline your offer for now, but I promise to give it some thought in the future."_

 _"Our door is always open, Blythe," said Esme, giving the teenaged healer a hug._

 _"Thank you, both of you, for your hospitality. You have both been so generous."_

 _"We should be thanking you, Blythe. You've saved Amelia twice this week alone."_

 _"It was an absolute pleasure. I shudder to think what would have happened otherwise. Amelia is very special."_

"What have I done?" she whispered out loud, realising that, for the first time in nearly two centuries, she was not as alone as she had always assumed she was. She had a family. They needed her just as much as she needed them. It was a good thing that she had not packed her suitcase away just yet, she was going to need it.


	68. Chapter 68

"A vehicle has entered the property," announced Carlisle, cocking his head to the side. He heard Amelia's heart rate accelerate slightly. She was peering out of the front window, waiting. She squeaked in horror and hastily moved out of the room. Esme giggled at her daughter's antics. She heard Rosalie trying to calm Amelia down.

"Don't even think about it," warned Esme, glaring at her husband.

"A freak accident is just so...easy," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't think uprooting a tree and having it conveniently crushing Mr Smith's car will bode well with Amelia," countered Esme, "besides, it won't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the tree is not rotten to the core."

"What about vehicular manslaughter?" joined in Emmett, already thinking of ingenious ways in which to eliminate the 'enemy'.

"Too casual," disagreed Carlisle.

"Why don't we ask Jasper to pay a visit?" suggested Emmett.

"Or hang him upside down by his toenails," muttered Rosalie, walking into the room.

"Where is my shotgun?" muttered Carlisle, striding out of the room before speeding back in with one of Jasper's rifles from his human days as a confederate soldier, "reckon this will do the trick?"

Emmett pretended to examine the shotgun carefully. "Nope. It's too, I don't know, cliché?" he mused.

"We could always feed him poison mushrooms," interjected Rosalie.

"Get him drunk and feed him a laxative?" recommended Emmett, rubbing his hands together evilly.

"No you will not!" screeched Amelia, glaring at her brother as she walked past the door, Jemima hot on her heels.

"You could be onto something here, Emmett," quipped Carlisle, seriously considering Emmett's suggestion.

"Enough!" Esme's voice was dangerously calm as she re-entered the room. The trio immediately fell silent, cowering under Esme's steely gaze. She took a breath and continued her tirade, "Leave him alone. Leave your sister alone. Rosalie Lillian Hale, you are the one who is the most determined that Amelia have as many human experiences as she can. Emmett McCarthy, you will shut up and make yourself scarce. You both promised to be on your best behaviour! And Carlisle Robert Cullen, don't even get me started on you! You hurt your daughter again and it will be the last thing you do! I will dismember you and burn the pieces, mark my words."

"Yes Mom," chorused Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle nodded. The car drew slowly up the drive, coming to a halt next to the garage. The car door closed softly, and they could hear him take a deep breath before making his way to the stairs and ringing the doorbell, patiently waiting for someone to open up the door and let him inside. Jemima heard the doorbell and raced over to the front door, barking loudly.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" asked Emmett. The four of them battled it out. Emmett threw scissors, beating Rosalie's paper. Esme's rock lost to Carlisle's paper. Carlisle promptly beat Emmett and smirked in victory as he walked to the front door. Emmett, Rosalie and Esme followed him at a safe distance. They heard him picking up Jemima and opening the front door.

"Dr Cullen, good afternoon," greeted Steven, holding out his hand to shake Carlisle's.

"Welcome," Carlisle replied politely, taking in the football player standing in front of him. He was holding a bunch of pink roses and something else – whatever it was, Carlisle could not see due to the wrapping paper covering it. The human was dressed neatly, bonus points for him. He stepped aside to allow the human boy to enter the house, his nose crinkling in distaste as Steven greeted Esme politely and enquired about Amelia. He waved at Rosalie and Emmett, paling slightly.

"Hey Steven," came a quiet voice. As per Rosalie and Alice's instructions, Amelia had waited until the boy had been allowed to enter the house before making an appearance. Of all people, it was Bella who had helped Amelia pick something to wear. Alice's version of 'looking good for the hot date' was far different, and far less comfortable, to Bella's version. She was dressed in a baby blue sweater, with black jeans and a purple scarf. She looked stunning. The vampires heard Steven's heart catch when he caught sight of her, and a smile broke out on his face.

"Mia, hi," was all he managed. He took a deep breath and tried again, "you look stunning."

"Thank you," she blushed. They gave each other a quick hug, and then he presented her with the roses.

"For you," he shuffled awkwardly. Amelia sniffed them, a smile playing on her lips. Carlisle suddenly felt a stab of sympathy for the young teenager who seemed to be as out of his league as Carlisle was.

"These are beautiful, Steven. Thank you. My favourite colour too!"

"Happy belated birthday," he handed her the gift as well.

"Thank you so much," she giggled, "this is so sweet of you. You shouldn't have."

"Of course I had to," he winked. Had Esme not been holding him firmly in place, Carlisle would probably have flattened him. Gone with the sympathy he had felt for the boy. The footballer had dared to wink at his daughter. Punk.

"May I offer you something to drink?" enquired Amelia, glancing at her family, silently begging them to leave.

"That would be lovely, thank you."

* * *

"Why is there almost total silence?" hissed Emmett, pressing his ear up against the door.

"What do you mean?" whispered Rosalie, bending down and pressing her ear against the door as well.

"Huh?" was the most eloquent response Carlisle could muster before charging over to the TV room door as well.

"Get away from the door!" called Esme. She was sitting in her office two floors above, immersing herself with blueprints.

"No ways!" muttered Emmett. He heard a stifled giggle on the other end of the door, followed by Amelia coughing softly. More giggles ensued. The trio pressed their ears harder against the door. In spite of her obvious health challenges which were painfully loud to vampire hearing, she was pretty good at hiding herself. Amelia occasionally wondered if she might be gifted when she was turned, perhaps she could disappear completely, like Harry Potter did when he put on his invisibility cloak.

In the TV room, Amelia was under no illusions as to what her siblings and father were up to. Alice had told her what they were planning on doing, and that no amount of threats from Esme would make them stop. She had formulated her plan, which Alice approved of, and had roped Steven in as well. The two of them were standing just on the other side of the door. Amelia had her hand on the door handle and was watching the clock above the TV until it struck the exact time that Alice had instructed.

She held up her hand and counted down from five, lowering a finger as each second ticked past until she reached one, then she wrenched the door open and watched in amusement as Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle lost their balance and tumbled over the threshold in one big heap. A well-timed cough disguised the sound of three vampires hitting each other softly. Amelia folded her arms across her chest and glared at them. Esme flitted down the stairs and burst out laughing at the motley trio who were in the process of standing up and dusting themselves off. Steven grinned at them.

"Is there something you would like to say?" Amelia asked, fixing her trademark glare on her father, sister and brother. The three of them cowered under her glare and shuffled awkwardly.

"Sorry Amelia," they chorused, eyes downcast. It was funny at first, but Amelia was fast losing her patience with the three of them and the strain was evident on her face.

"I expected better from you," she whispered, before turning her back and dragging Steven back into the TV room with her. Jemima looked at them and snorted in annoyance, before turning her back on them as well and following her owner. Esme merely shook her head and left. Rosalie and Emmett made their way to their room. Carlisle went to his study. Downstairs, Amelia put on a DVD. None of them missed her quiet sob of frustration.

* * *

"The pizza is here," called Esme, softly knocking on the door to the TV room and entering it. She grinned at the sight in front of her. Amelia had curled up on the couch and was lying with her head on a pillow. Steven was still sitting upright, but that was probably due to the Scottish terrier who had made his lap her bed and was sleeping soundly. One of his hands gently rested on Jemima's back, the other one was on the couch.

"Thanks Mom," whispered Amelia, picking up the remote to pause the DVD, struggling to get upright. Steven grasped her gently and eased her upright. She smiled at him softly, before easing Jemima off his lap. She gently placed her dog on the couch and covered her with a blanket, before kissing her head and following Steven out of the room.

"Do you kids want to eat in the TV room or out in the kitchen?" queried Esme, surveying her daughter's ashen face. Amelia was obviously tired. It would soon be time for her afternoon physiotherapy, a task that none of the Cullens were looking forward to. Physiotherapy was never a pleasant occasion, but since her release from hospital a fortnight previously, she was in a lot of pain after it.

At first Carlisle had attributed it to the collapsed lung, but he quickly realised that the pain was caused by the gradual weakening of her muscles. They had officially started wasting, officially in that even Dr Westsmythe had noticed it. Blythe had merely adopted a grim expression when he mentioned it to her, she had figured it out already. Amelia had as well, she had even implied as much to Carlisle upon her release but he had not thought it possible at that time.

"Kitchen perhaps?" stated Amelia, walking to the bathroom.

"I don't mind either way," answered Steven when he spied Esme looking at him questioningly. He caught a whiff of the pizza, "oh that does smell nice."

"Salami, cheese and mushroom for you, cheese and tomato for Amelia," Esme responded brightly.

"Awesome!" he crowed, separating Amelia's pizza slices for easier eating. He repeated the exercise on his own pizza.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" enquired Carlisle, walking into the kitchen and leaning against the counter next to Esme.

"Yes thank you. It was a good film. Quite amusing, but not too funny. I don't think my stomach muscles would have coped with a comedy," he joked.

"I don't think Amelia's lungs would either," muttered Emmett, joining the merry trio in the kitchen. A slap to his head announced Rosalie's arrival.

A resounding "Emmett!" echoed around the kitchen.

* * *

"Going so soon, Miss Blythe?"

Blythe snapped out of her reverie and glanced at the elderly man who was the source of the speech. She was sitting on the terrace of her property, staring out at the lake. It was overcast, and the sun was setting. There was a definite chill in the air, as March weather tended to bring.

" _Herr_ von Stein," she stood and greeted the elderly man and his son.

"How long will you be gone for this time?"

"I do not know at this point, but it will be many years yet. I will come through as often as you require, as we did in the past," Blythe replied airily. Their previous arrangement was such that Blythe would return to Bremen as often as was required during her longer periods of absence, to sort out paperwork or whatever was required of her.

"As you wish, Miss Blythe," Herr von Stein bowed, "are there any amendments to your will?"

"Yes, I would like to update my next-of-kin details."

"Is Dr Cullen no longer next of kin?"

"He still is. Nothing has changed. I just wish to update his details."

"Is he still not aware that in the event of your passing, your estate will be absorbed into the Cullen estate?"

"No, he remains unaware of my decision, and I intend on keeping it that way."

"Miss Blythe, it has been more than one hundred years."

"I am aware, but I owe Dr Cullen a great debt. I know that in the event of my death, my funeral arrangements and my estate will be taken care of as if I were one of his children."

"Understood. Any other changes?"

"None."

"In the event of your passing, the house will become a museum and the Bremen Historical Society will take over its upkeep. Your assets will be absorbed into the Cullen estate. Your personal belongings will also be sent over to the current listed address of the Cullen family, and one Mr J. Jenks is the Cullens' contact to verify the address. Any alterations?"

"No changes to that, Herr von Stein. Everything is in order."

"Very well."

" _Vielen dank, Herr von Stein_."

" _Es war mir ein Vergnügen. Passen Sie auf sich auf_."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Many thanks to everyone for the well-wishes ahead of the exam I wrote yesterday.**

 **The German translation is as follows:**

 **"Vielen dank, Herr von Stein" - Thank you very much, Mr von Stein.**

 **"Es war mir ein Vergnügen. Passen Sie auf sich auf _" -_ It is always a pleasure. Take care.**


	69. Chapter 69

"Carlisle, are you one hundred percent sure about this?" Blythe's voice echoed over the phone line, "Ugh this line is bad."

"Yes, Blythe, _we_ are dead certain. And my apologies, this is a hospital after all," Carlisle's voice held a note of amusement.

"Hilarious, really now. You made a pun. Wow," Blythe's voice was dripping with sarcasm,

"I like to think that I am a funny guy," teased Carlisle, leaning back into his office chair and spinning around, facing the window. He was at work. It was almost soothing for him to be there, he was truly in his element helping people. As of late, however, his mind had been elsewhere when he was at work, never drifting far from worrying about his youngest daughter.

"Does Amelia know?"

"We have not yet told her. Alice thought you may wish to surprise her."

"May I surprise her then?"

"Go right ahead. What time does your plane land?"

"Ten past nine on Wednesday evening. I have sent the details to your work email."

"That is in two days' time. Have you shipped your belongings across yet?" queried Carlisle, opening up his email application and waiting for it to refresh, "okay, got it."

"They took it this morning. It should arrive tomorrow afternoon sometime. I had it express sent."

"Alice says it will, but we will keep you posted. We will come and fetch you from the airport," he stated as he sent the document to the printer.

"You really do not have to do that," Blythe stated.

"It is no bother. We will be in Seattle anyway because Amelia has a rehearsal with the orchestra for her concert."

"It is on Saturday right?"

"Yes it is. Alice nearly had a coronary when she realised that Amelia does not have a fancy dress to wear when she performs."

"That sounds like Alice," Blythe chuckled, "suits and ball dresses. I'm glad they have kept up with the tradition."

"Interestingly, she is holding back because she had seen one of the orchestra players helping Amelia out with it. They will find a dress on Wednesday evening I believe. We're staying at the Kremlin again on Tuesday evening. Amelia wants to see her old house as well. If time permits, we might be able to go this time."

"How is she holding out, Carlisle?" Blythe's voice had a hint of concern.

"Amelia is alright, but she is starting to decline. I don't know how much longer it will be until it becomes unbearable for all of us. She had a date with that wretched human yesterday."

"I heard all about it," Blythe snickered, recalling the email that she had received from Amelia that morning detailing the events of the previous afternoon's date, "I believe you, Emmett and Rose were eavesdropping."

"Ahem, yes, well, uh, it was, uh, necessary to, uh, ensure that Amelia's health was up to scratch," stuttered Carlisle. Blythe roared with laughter.

"Look at you, all protective over your baby girl," she cooed, "I never thought I'd see the day where Doctor Carlisle Robert Cullen went into protective father mode."

"You should have seen him, Blythe. It was the funniest thing I have ever witnessed," stated Esme, entering Carlisle's office after knocking. She walked over to him and gave him a kiss.

"Hey Esme," she greeted.

"Hello sweetheart. Are you all ready to hop the pond again? Your room is almost done, we have had a hard time trying to keep Amelia distracted. The paint fumes keep setting her off. Alice has told her that she is redecorating the music room but I don't think she buys it."

"Is Amelia alright?" Carlisle interjected, standing up, with anxiety radiating off him.

"Relax Carlisle, she is fine. She was sleeping when I left. Jasper is keeping an eye on her. So is Jemima."

"Like I said, protective father," giggled Blythe, "and to answer your question Esme, yes I am ready. I had my things express sent this morning. I'll be leaving Germany tomorrow morning, but only doing the transatlantic trip on Wednesday at 12.05pm Greenwich Mean Time."

"What are you doing on Tuesday afternoon?" chorused Carlisle and Esme.

"I am going to England one last time. It may be a while still before I return."

"You're going to see your parents," guessed Esme.

"Yes. I visit them as often as I can," Blythe whispered. She missed her mother dreadfully sometimes. Today was one of those days. How she wished her mother was here. Her time with her father had been fleeting, and while she did miss him from time to time, her mother was her friend.

"She'd have been very proud of you, Blythe. Your father too," broke in Carlisle.

"Thank you. But nevertheless, let me bid you farewell. I must tie up a few loose ends here and complete my packing. Goodbye Carlisle, Esme. I shall see you on Wednesday."

"Goodbye Blythe, travel safely."

Blythe hung up the phone and took a moment to gather her thoughts. She was a mix of emotions at present – excitement to see Amelia again, joy at having a family again, but there was also a touch of sadness at leaving Germany. Tomorrow, she would go to her parents' grave and bid them farewell again. She did not know when she would visit again – a thought that made her sad. She loved her mother with all her heart, but worried that it would be insulting to her mother's memory if she accepted Esme as the motherly figure in her life. But she also knew her mother would want her to be happy. She'd finally found people who cared for her after 170 years of solitude, people who had accepted her with open arms.

Taking a deep breath, she exited the house and walked to the end of the property, the late afternoon sunshine causing her to glisten. She sighed, better take that walk through the town when the sun had set then. She walked back into the house, shutting the door firmly behind her. She made her way up the stairs and entered her bedroom where the last of her things awaited her attention.

Her favourite desk, which had belonged to her father, had been shipped, so had most of her books that she held dear. Most of her clothes had been sent as well, and she had a few items remaining that she had already packed into her suitcases. She picked up a small portrait of her parents that someone had painted for them while her mother was pregnant. The gentle swell of her belly was barely discernible. Sadly for Blythe, it was the only painting that she had of her parents, and the only one that she featured in, even if she had not yet been born at the time. She placed it in the smaller suitcase and packed clothes around it so as to avoid any damage. She packed a few souvenirs of her trips around Europe and picked up her photo frame of her and Amelia, packing that too, covering it with clothes and zipping the suitcase shut.

The last item would go in hand luggage as it was lighter and less bulky – lecture notes from her first stint in medical school, along with her first medical textbook. She had a first edition of Henry Gray's _Anatomy_ dating back to 1858, and she held it close to her heart. Carlisle had given them both to her when he left to start afresh in America back in the late 1870s. They had been 'study buddies', finding support in each other as they faced the trials and tribulations of medical school together, of the rough days when they desperately needed to hunt but still had several hours until their shift ended, and of finding comfort in their mutual desire to help as many humans as they could. Carlisle had often helped Blythe when she got upset over a patient who she could have saved with her gift. But more than that, he had kept her biggest secret for six long years. It was not the fact that she was a vampire, for he was one too, but it was the fact that she was actually a female. For six years she had disguised herself as a male, adopting her father's name. She had graduated as Dr Jonathan Casper in the end.

After Carlisle had left, she was lonely but kept herself busy, relishing the independence she had. She lost touch with Carlisle, but her thoughts never strayed far from one of her dearest friends. Fastforward more than a century and she had enrolled herself at a school in the next town, and applied for an exchange programme to America. She had not been there since the mid-1930s, shortly before the war had broken out and she had gone to England. She had stayed there during the Second World War and helped where she could, saving many children with her gift.

She returned to Europe in 1946, focusing her time and efforts on helping Poland, which had been the hardest hit, rebuild their shattered towns. She had returned to Germany, and had been there when the Berlin Wall had finally fallen in the 1970s. She had been staying near the Ukranian border back in 1986 when Chernobyl had gone down and the town of Pripyat had to evacuate immediately. 20 years later and there was still a twenty mile exclusion zone around the disaster zone. She had helped with the relief efforts.

Fastfoward to October 2007 and she was back in Germany, filling out the paperwork for her trip to America. It had brought her to Forks in February of 2008, and she had smelled the scents of six vampires concentrated on one human girl, no older than about fifteen or sixteen. She had recognised Carlisle's scent, and it had taken all her control not to crush Amelia in a hug and beg to meet up with her oldest and dearest friend. And now she was relocating to Forks for a few months, before they all would move away after Amelia was turned.

Blythe sighed and glanced out the window, noticing that it was dusk and the clouds had come in again. She found herself walking up and down the streets of Bremen, enjoying the sights that the small town brought for one last time. She did not know when she would return, but she knew that it would not be for a while again.

* * *

"Attention all passengers travelling on Ryanair flight FR6785 to Stansted Airport. You may now begin boarding through gate 9."

The noise of the speakers jolted Blythe back to the present, as the message was then repeated in German. Realising that her flight was being called, she stood up and walked towards the departure gate. It was 6.30 in the morning and all around her, a few passengers were sleepily making their way to the gate. A couple more hours and she'd be in Seattle, but first, a trip to England was on the cards.

She smiled at the young woman who was scanning her ticket – she looked exhausted. She quickly boarded the small jet and glanced around her. It was a largely empty flight. By 6.45am, the flight was taxying onto the runway and taking off. Blythe stared out the window as the Bremen skyline gradually disappeared, waiting for a sense of sadness to overtake her as it always did whenever she left Germany behind. This time, it did not come.

An hour and a half later, they touched down at Stansted Airport, a surprisingly large airport located in Essex. She had read somewhere that it was the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Stansted Airport. We hope you enjoyed your flight. Please note that England is one hour behind Germany, so the time is currently 7.15am. We wish you a pleasant onwards journey and hope to see you again soon."

There was a bustle of activity as the passengers raced to disembark the aeroplane. Blythe stood back and allowed them to get off before her. All that was left to do was get to London. She too disembarked and then made her way to the luggage carousel, and patiently waited for what seemed like forever for her suitcases to arrive. They eventually did, and she grabbed them both before making her way to the exit. It was still dark outside when she left the building and she could see her breath as she exhaled. It was cold and frosty that morning. Around her, people were shivering as they hurried towards the terminal building. She chuckled softly to herself and ambled along to the Stansted Express Platform. The train would take her to Central London. She had plans to go to Kings Cross Station and visit the famous 'Platform 9 ¾ ' from the _Harry Potter_ franchise while she waited for 10am to arrive so that she could check into her hotel and get rid of the luggage that she was carting behind her.

* * *

Two hours and a failed photo attempt later, she was on her way to the local that she had booked herself into for the evening ahead of her flight to Seattle. She would take Amelia with her one day. A shiver of excitement ran through her body as she thought of her best friend, and how excited she would be to see her again. The weather was miserable as usual, and after she checked in, she made her way outside and walked along the streets of London towards what she referred to as the 'Old City' – the London of her youth. It took her about 45 minutes to walk there, but she was not hurrying along like her fellow pedestrians – she wished to savour the moment as she slowly found herself reminiscing of a time long ago, where children played barefoot in the street and transportation was by cart, or a carriage if you had the means.

She drew up to her childhood home, or what remained of it. She lived in a part of London that had been heavily bombed in the Second World War, and it had been rebuilt in the late 1940s. After a fire had devastated the building in the 1990s, it had been rebuilt yet again and was now a fancy apartment block. As different as it was now, it was still home.

She actually owned one of the apartments, a small two-bedroomed studio on the top floor of the building. She occasionally rented it out, but it currently stood empty and she took advantage of its emptiness to enter it. How different it was to the home of her youth. She spent about half an hour there, checking the plumbing, electricity and other things of importance. She surveyed the apartment, checking for anything that she may wish to take to Washington with her but found nothing – everything that she held dear to her came with her when she moved away.

She locked up the apartment and left, making her way to the graveyard that was located about ten minutes away from the apartment. She stopped off at the local supermarket and got some fresh daisies. They had been her mother's favourite flower and as a child, she would bring them home if she came across them growing wild. The smile on her mother's face was a treat to witness. She finally arrived at the graveyard, a site so familiar to her. She pushed open the wrought iron gate that was in desperate need of a coat of paint, and walked across the expansive area of land. Nearly an acre of land made up the graveyard, which had a small church attached to it for funeral services. She bypassed a large group of gatherers, dressed in black. She realised quickly that it was a funeral service, and felt a pang on sadness as she overheard that the deceased was a mere three years of age. It was always worse when it was children.

Blythe quickly found her parents' graves. After her father's death, his body had been returned to London at their request. When her mother had perished, she buried her alongside her father so that they may be together again. Sinking down to her knees, she placed the daisies over her mother's grave and touched the headstones briefly.

"Hello Mother, Father. It is me, Blythe. I'm here again and the weather is typical English weather, miserable and cold," she chuckled softly to herself as she informed her parents of the weather and the ins and outs of her life.

"I'm leaving for Washington tomorrow for a while. Remember I told you back in the 1870s about Carlisle Cullen? Well I reunited with him and his family – he has a mate now, and six children, a daughter in law and even a granddaughter. He is so happy, Mother. I have grown close to his youngest child, Amelia. She has that same salty disease that little Maggie Blacksmith had, remember her? She was such a sickly babe and she perished when she was about six months old. It is now called Cystic Fibrosis. Amelia is sixteen, goodness you'd like her so much. I have been asked to live with them, and at first I said no, but then I realised how lonely it is. I have been alone for so long and I suppose I am just tired of the solitude now. I'm really looking forward to being a part of their family. I'm not trying to replace you, and neither are they, but I just want to be a part of a family now."

Blythe chatted some more, before realising that darkness was starting to set it. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was nearly 4pm. She stood up and dusted herself off.

"I'll be back when I can. I love you both so much," she whispered before moving away and leaving the graveyard. As she left, she caught sight of a familiar face that she had last seen when she was nineteen years old. She paused in her tracks, their eyes locking. His scent hit her olfactory system a few moments later.

"Blythe," he whispered.

"Leopold," she breathed. The man had once held her heart, but for a long time, she was angry with him for changing her into a monster. The anger had slowly ebbed away and she was no longer mad, just resigned. They nodded once, her golden eyes meeting his crimson ones, before they broke contact and walked away from each other in opposite directions. After a quick hunt, she returned to the hotel to wait for morning to arrive.

She had a long trip ahead of her. Her late booking meant that she had two lay overs in Canada but she did not mind. A seven and three quarter hour long flight would take her from Heathrow to Toronto shortly after midday. She would need to wait for little more than an hour and a half before flying to Vancouver, but that would give her sufficient time to get through customs. The flight to Vancouver would take fractionally over five hours, but she did not mind. Canada was scenic and she was actually hoping to go there one day. After all, they were quite close to the border after all. There was surely a rainy town similar to Forks there. A second layover of two hours might be annoying for her, but it was more bearable than the longer layover she had endured in Frankfurt airport waiting to return to Bremen over the weekend.

Lastly, a short 51 minute flight would take her from Vancouver to Seattle, where the Cullens would be waiting for her. She would land at 9.10pm assuming there were no delays. She really hoped that any delays would be minimal as she had once missed a connecting flight due to a four hour delay because of bad weather. Sighing, she leaned back into the pillows on the hotel bed and stared at the ceiling. It was going to be a long day. Home had never been a physical place for Blythe, it had always been wherever her family was. She realised in that moment that she was going home. It brought a smile to her face.


	70. Chapter 70

"Amelia Grace Theodore-Cullen, get your butt out here!" called Esme, impatiently drumming her fingers on the countertop. They needed to get going. It was now Wednesday morning. The previous evening, the pair had driven out to Seattle ahead of the long rehearsal scheduled with the orchestra for today.

"I'm coming," came the soft response.

"So is Christmas!" Esme retorted. Amelia sighed softly, before coughing loudly and making her way to the small living room. Their overnight bag was ready and waiting by the door, so was her violin. The rest of their things had been piled onto the bellhop's trolley and he was busy loading the suitcase as well.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Esme, worried that her physiotherapy skills were not up to scratch and that she'd insufficiently cleared Amelia's chest.

"Physio was fine, Mom," she replied, guessing why Esme was so concerned, "just a little tired. Shall we get going?"

"Yes, let us leave," agreed Esme, shutting the door behind her. The checkout process was smooth, and Esme double checked their reservations for the suites for Friday and Saturday. Bella, Edward and Renesmee would be staying overnight on Saturday after the concert as well. Alice had a shopping trip planned for all the Cullen girls, and Amelia was desperately trying to charm her way out of that one, even throwing in a few additional coughs for extra benefit. The real reason was that Alice wanted to take both Amelia and Blythe out as a way of officially welcoming them to the family. After seven weeks of living with them, Amelia had yet to shop with Alice, which was a grave miscarriage of justice in the psychic pixie's opinion.

"Thank you, Mom," Amelia's soft voice broke the contemplative silence. They had left the hotel and were nearly at the Benaroya Hall.

"Whatever for, Amelia?"

"For bringing me here today."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"What are you going to do during the rehearsal? It is quite long."

"There are a few things I will be taking care of but I will be there the whole time."

"Won't that be boring for you?"

"Listening to you play your violin is never boring," stated Esme, glancing at Amelia. She was rewarded with a sweet smile from her daughter, "are you excited?"

"Yes I am. It will be nice to honour Abigail's memory."

"She is your mother, Amelia. You don't have to refer to her by her first name. Carlisle and I are not trying to replace her or your father."

"But what if that is what I want?" Amelia spoke so quietly that even Esme's vampiric hearing almost missed it.

"You want Carlisle and I to replace your parents?" she stated incredulously, pulling her car to the side of the road and turning off the engine, hazards blinking. Amelia flinched and looked away.

"Not replace them per se," she whispered, "but I want you to be them. Since the competition last week, I feel like you and Dad are kind of pulling away from me. I know I am being stupid, but it just feels that way."

"We wanted to respect your parents' memory. We did not want to hurt you by thinking that we were trying to remove them from your life so to speak, to make them seem almost insignificant. You are here now because of them. I'm sorry, _bella Mia_ , I didn't realise that we were hurting you. Is this why you've been so closed off from us all lately?" Everything clicked in Esme's mind. In spite of all of their reassurances, Amelia was still struggling to accept herself as part of the family.

"I was so confused because you've both been so different lately, but then you tell me that my adoption is finalised and seem to be so happy. I can't help but feel that I am a burden to you, especially now that I am getting sicker and sicker."

"You will never be a burden to us, Amelia, in sickness or in health," Esme smiled and unbuckled her seatbelt, then leaned across to unbuckle Amelia's so that she could pull her stubborn human daughter into her arms. The pair sat that way for a few moments before Alice rang them to remind them that they had a concert rehearsal to attend.

* * *

"You must be Amelia," a delicate young woman about Alice's height greeted Amelia. She came to sit next to Amelia, easing her cello case onto the ground. The rehearsal was held in one of the rehearsal rooms in the complex as the symphonic orchestra was having a quick run through of their programme. They had a concert scheduled for that evening.

"Mia Theodore," stated Amelia, extending her hand in greeting.

"Valerie St. Cloud," she replied, shaking Amelia's hand. She had long black hair that reached to her waist, and eyes nearly the same deep green colour as Amelia's, only with yellow specks in them. A smattering of freckles adorned her cheeks. She had an impish smile and immediately made Amelia feel at ease.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Mia. Simon's been waxing lyrical about your impending visit," she shook her head fondly, "shame. He is so excited to have you back. Peter and the others too. You have quite the reputation."

"Should I be scared?" teased Amelia, giggling.

"Downright terrified!" came the cheeky response.

"Valerie, leave Amelia alone! Did you remember to pick up your dry-cleaning?" Ariané's voice broke in and the two youngest members of the orchestra – well, temporary member in Amelia's case – turned around to greet the Louisianan clarinet player.

"Shoot. I knew there was something I forgot!" exclaimed Valerie, clapping her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"Good thing I picked it up this morning," chided Ariané.

"You are the best! I love you Ariané!" exclaimed Valerie, bounding up to Ariané and taking her dry cleaning. She lifted the protective plastic packaging and showed the gorgeous midnight blue dress to Amelia, "what do you think Mia? I'm going to wear it on Saturday at the concert."

"It is stunning. Why do you need to wear a dress though?" replied Amelia, confusion colouring her tone.

"Do you ever remember your mother dressing up in a pretty long dress sometimes? Occasionally, you would dress up too." queried Ariané. Amelia frowned and racked her brain, then nodded slowly.

"I think I remember _Maman_ dressing up. Did _Papa_ ever dress up in a suit?"

" _Oui_. He did indeed."

"I think I remember Simon and Peter also dressing up."

"Yes, it is a tradition that we have continued with. You need a formal dress, _chéri_. Has that psychic pixie big sister of yours not got one for you?" The last part was playful and light. Both Amelia and Valerie burst into laughter, although Valerie's was more out of amusement as she didn't know just how truthful Ariané's words were.

"I think not, because if she did, she'd probably have made me go shopping with her and try on a thousand dresses," chuckled Amelia.

"We shall have to go today then!" declared Valerie, turning around to face Esme, "Mrs Cullen, can we take Amelia shopping for a dress?"

"By all means, go for it. I do know Alice and Rosalie will like to tag along if that is not too much of a problem," smiled Esme.

"It's settled then! We end rehearsal at 4, so perhaps we can wait for the traffic to ease up a bit, hit the mall at say 5ish, grab a bite to eat and shop?"

"We can take care of Amelia's physiotherapy during that time," mused Esme, "will you be able to last until 4pm, sweetheart?"

"Simple. If Titch needs her physiotherapy beforehand, then she goes. Practice won't come to a screeching halt because one of our players needs to take care of her health. Amelia, your health comes first, ok hun?" Simon broke in, having come to call the trio to the stage so that their rehearsal may begin.

"Okay Uncle Simon."

"Excellent. Now ladies, I hate to break this tea party up, but we need to get started."

* * *

"Great job guys, time for a tea break," announced Simon. A sigh of relief rang out through the orchestra players as they hastened to escape before Simon decided to skip the tea break altogether. They had just finished rehearsing the pieces that they would be playing before the interval at the concert. Aaron Copland's _Fanfare for the Common Man_ , which was an exclusively brass and percussion piece, was set to open up the event. After that, in honour of Amelia, they would be playing Tchaikovsky – the _Sleeping Beauty Suite_. Thereafter, a brief Dvořāk piece – _Tempo di valse_ , the second movement from one of his string serenades – would enthrall the audience. _Toccata and Fugue in D_ by Johann Sebastian Bach would conclude the first half of the programme.

The second half would open with Amelia performing _Menuetto (Allegretto)_ movement, the third movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major. Valerie would then lead the orchestra into the _William Tell Overture_ by Rossini, which commenced with a melancholy cello solo. Dukas's _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_ would be played next, and the concert would end off with the first movement of Schubert's _Symphony No 3 in D Major_.

* * *

Blythe shut her book with a soft snap and set it aside as the flight attendant announced their imminent arrival in Toronto. The seatbelt light switched on and she obediently fastened hers as the leaned forward to shove the book into her backpack. It was pitch black outside as she stared out the window when the cabin lights were dimmed. The altitude dropped lower and lower until she felt the massive Boeing make contact with the tarmac with a shudder that rippled through the aeroplane. Powerful brakes brought the aircraft to a far slower speed and soon enough they were rolling along the runway until it eventually drew to a standstill at one of the parking bays.

Five minutes later, she was disembarking the plane and hurrying towards the terminal building. As luck would have it, their flight had left an hour late. Blythe now only had little more than twenty minutes to get through passport control and to the domestic terminal, which was located on the completely opposite side of the airport. At vampire speed, it would not take her too long but at human speed... She ran straight into a security guard and fell over.

"Why such a hurry?" queried the security guard, helping her up.

"I'm so sorry! We left Heathrow late. I only have," she paused to look at her watch, pretending to be out of breath, "twenty to get through passport control and into the domestic terminal to board my flight to Vancouver."

"Which flight?" he queried, walking with her towards passport control.

"The Lufthansa one."

"LH 4659 to Vancouver?" he asked, leading her past the few passengers who were queuing up.

"Yes."

"Marianne, the Lufthansa flight from Heathrow had just landed and it was an hour late. This young lass has to board the Lufthansa flight to Vancouver that leaves in twenty minutes. Please help us, and any other passengers who are in this situation," he spoke to the young woman who was stamping passports. The woman smiled at her and requested her passport and other documentation, while her colleague announced for any passengers who needed to board the Vancouver flight and requested them to come forward. A few passengers moved to the front. The kindly security guard spoke into his walkie-talkie, explaining the situation to the guard in the domestic terminal.

"Anyone else?" called Marianne. No more passengers arrived.

"Let's get going, ladies and gentlemen. We have a plane to board," stated the guard, marching ahead. The rest of them half sprinted to keep up with him as he led them through the massive terminal building, bypassing the long queue for the security checkpoint, and escorting them to the gate, where the staff had waited for them to arrive before closing the check-in. As Blythe was the last person to hand in her boarding pass, she turned to thank the security guard, giving him a big hug.

"Thank you. I am so appreciative of your efforts," she stated.

"You are welcome, my dear. Travel safely."

"At least my next lay-over is longer, and this flight is on time. No rushing for me. But thank you so much," she smiled.

"Any time, miss."

She took her boarding pass and passport back, and hurried down the ramp to enter the aeroplane. She was quickly seated in first class, delighted to see that she was one of the few passengers there. No one would be able to make small talk with her now.

* * *

"Amelia, we are going to rehearse your piece one last time, alright?"

"Okay Uncle Si," she said, standing up and moving to the soloist's chair next to Simon. She coughed, a long, drawn out fit and then declared herself ready to play. Esme listened transfixed as the solo piece of music that she had being played for the past week was once again transformed into something more. She knew the orchestral version of course, having heard it being played simultaneously to her daughter's own playing. Once Amelia was confident that she knew the piece well-enough, she blocked out the rest of the world by turning on her iPod and listening to the music through her headphones to get a feel for performing with an orchestra. She did it for all the other pieces the orchestra was performing as well. No one had the heart to point out to her that she may as well just play the music on her stereo as they could hear her the music through her headphones anyway.

"Saturday is going to be amazing," stated Alice, coming to sit next to Esme.

"No two ways about that," agreed Rosalie.

"Hello girls," greeted Esme.

"Hey Esme," they chorused.

"And that's a wrap. Great job everyone. We'll have a final run through on Friday afternoon. Valerie, please don't forget your dress at the drycleaners again," Simon boomed.

"I already have it," grinned Valerie.

"That's a first," stated Simon.

"Only because I picked it up for her," retorted Ariané good-naturedly.

"It's not like you made a special trip for me. You were there to pick your own dress up. Sheesh woman, must you moan so?" groaned Valerie.

"Whatever, Valerie."

"Amelia, did you manage that okay?" Simon spoke softly to Amelia as the orchestra members moved to return their instruments to their cases and gather up their sheet music.

"Yes thanks," the dark-haired teen replied, "I cannot wait for Saturday."

"Me neither. The benefit concert is one of the highlights of my year. I believe you are going dress shopping now with Valerie, Ariané, your mom and sisters?"

"Yeah. Then we have to fetch someone from the airport afterwards. Apparently some Canadian expert in something medicine-y is coming to Forks and we be fetching him or her seeing that we are in Seattle," Amelia explained, "why the whole family must come along is beyond me. Must be someone they all know."

Esme, Alice and Rosalie giggled softly at Amelia's speech. Alice had told Amelia seeing that she would be unimpressed if she was not informed of the airport visit – she liked to plan her day based on a schedule, and disruptions to her schedule were unwelcome and not handled well.

"Amelia, time for physio sweetheart," called Esme.

"Yay," came the sarcastic cheer.

"That child of mine," Esme shook her head in humoured exasperation.

"Life would be so boring without me," stated Amelia, joining her mother and giving her a quick hug.

"Whatever you say, kiddo," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah. I still love you."

"I love you more, Amelia."


	71. Chapter 71

"What about this one?" Alice held up a dress for Amelia to see. Amelia shook her head. Alice shrugged and stuck it on the ever-increasing stack of formal dresses for Amelia to try on.

"This one?" asked Esme, pointing out a pale blue dress.

"I'd like a high neckline to cover my port if possible," stated Amelia.

"But then no one can see your necklace!" shrieked Alice, horror-struck that the jewellery that she planned for Amelia to wear would be hidden.

"It's not comfortable playing the violin whilst wearing a necklace," spoke Valerie, "what about this dress?"

"Pretty. Put it in the stack please," commented Amelia, scanning the rack.

They were now in their fourth dress shop, having not found anything at the previous three. Amelia was starting to drag her feet, tired of trying on dress after dress.

"Now go and try them on," Alice insisted, pushing Amelia towards the fitting rooms and bundling her into a room, before dumping the stack of dresses on the only stool in said room, before pulling back the curtain of the dressing room, effectively shielding them. They could hear Alice muttering unintelligibly under her breath as she undressed Amelia. Amelia merely sighed and left Alice to boss her around, too tired to care anymore.

Esme felt a pair of arms encircling her waist. Carlisle and the rest of their family had arrived.

"I missed you," stated Carlisle, placing a kiss on her neck.

"Me too. Please help us rein Alice in, I don't know how much longer Amelia is going to last before she snaps."

Carlisle chuckled softly, before letting go of Esme and going to greet Ariané and Valerie, who by now were taking cover from Hurricane Alice. Emmett and Jasper looked uncomfortable and beat a hasty retreat out of the shop. Bella, Edward and Renesmee were in one of the bookstores, also hiding from Alice.

"Ta-da!" trilled Alice, pulling back the curtain and dragging Amelia out of the room. One look at Amelia's face told them that she hated the hideous canary yellow dress that her middle sister had wrestled her into.

"It's not very Amelia," ventured Valerie bravely. Alice narrowed her eyes at the cellist.

"I agree. No one has a yellow dress. You want something subtle and dark, very understated," agreed Ariané.

"No, Alice, just no," confirmed Rosalie, crossing her arms and giving her middle sister a look that made Alice mutter 'that's what you think' under her breath. Ariané and Valerie continued to look for dresses.

"Need some help, ladies?" queried Carlisle.

"Go look on that rack please," directed Valerie. Carlisle obeyed his instructions and moved all the dresses to one side.

"Anything in particular to look out for?" he asked as he began to move each dress across the railing, scanning them for a decent looking dress.

"Dark colour, high neckline. I'm thinking maybe purple or deep red?"

"Alright," he said, continuing with his task, a frown puckering his marble forehead as he concentrated on finding a dress for his youngest daughter. Ariané and Valerie exchanged glances and stifled a giggle at the serious look on Carlisle's face.

Alice had Amelia try on a few more dresses before Carlisle picked up a dress, folded it over his arm and continued looking. When he had finally reached the end of the rail, he turned to the two ladies and showed it to them.

"What do you think?"

"Very nice," remarked Ariané. Carlisle grinned and marched off to show his find to Esme, who shot the girls an amused look.

"No more, Ali, please. I beg of you," Amelia cried softly. She was hungry and tired, and Alice's incessant babble and demanding nature when she was fashion shopping was starting to get to her.

"Don't be silly, Amelia," she replied primly as she wrestled Amelia into yet another dress, "this dress looks good."

"Too low a neckline, Ali. Please, we've been over this. Something with a high neckline and a darker colour," Amelia whined softly. None of the vampires in the shop missed the exhaustion in Amelia's voice. Her stomach gurgled loudly. Instead, Alice dragged her out to model the dress for everyone.

"Alice, leave her alone," chastised Esme, spying just how tired Amelia was, "we need to get going for the airport soon anyway. Amelia's hungry. No more dresses."

"There are still a dozen more dresses to try on, Esme! We do not have nearly enough time before Saturday evening! We will have to look tomorrow again!" shrieked Alice. With a look of utter defeat, Amelia burst into tears, exhaustion and frustration beginning to take its toll on her. Alice looked at her in bewilderment.

"Come Alice, you're overwhelming her. Give her a break, please," spoke Jasper, entering the shop and leading her away.

"Don't worry about Alice," soothed Rosalie, coming to give Amelia a hug. Carlisle crouched down in front of his human daughter.

"We'll get you some food now, Amelia. I know you are hungry and tired, sweetheart. But can you do me a favour and try on one more dress for me?" he implored the tired teenager. She looked so defeated and tired, but she nodded.

"One more only," she whispered, "I think my sugar levels are dropping again. I can't keep up with this."

"I think they are. Rose, could you please take Ariané and Valerie and get a cold drink for Amelia? Some Coke or Pepsi, perhaps. Even an energy drink like Gatorade. Get one of them to bring it her, then pick up a muffin or something as well," he spoke, leading Amelia back into the dressing room, "can you get dressed yourself or do you need Mom to help you?"

"I can manage."

A few minutes later, Amelia emerged from the dressing room in the beautiful purple dress that Carlisle had found. Both of her parents gasped at how stunning she looked. It was a deep, rich purple that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. It had a high neckline, effectively hiding the tubes and scars that marred her chest. It had short, bell-like sleeves that only just covered the tops of her arms. The bodice had beadwork running across it, and it sparkled delicately as Amelia moved towards them. The rest of the dress was composed of slightly pleated tulle which extended from her waistline to the floor. The dress was slightly too long, but would lose a small amount of length when Amelia put her shoes on.

"Amelia, you look beautiful," stated Esme, coming to stand next to her daughter and admire the dress.

"Without a doubt, this is the dress," whispered Carlisle. Amelia caught his eye and smiled shyly.

"I love it," she declared, turning her neck so that she could see the back of the dress.

"What colour shoes shall we get?" queried Carlisle. His daughter was going to look breath-taking at her concert, no two ways about it.

"I think perhaps black or a similar colour purple. You wanted pumps, correct sweetheart?" Esme directed the question towards Amelia.

"Yes please," she called, walking towards the shoe section with Carlisle in tow. Eventually they settled on a pair of glittery black pumps and Amelia tried them on with the dress. They matched perfectly. Esme helped her get dressed again and after paying for the dress and the shoes, the trio found themselves joining Rosalie, Ariané and Valerie.

"We should probably leave now if we want to get to the airport with time to spare," stated Alice. The others had joined them now. After bidding farewell to Ariané and Valerie, the Cullen family left for the airport.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Sea-Tac shortly. Please..." Blythe tuned out the rest of the message as she eagerly packed her things away and waited to the plane to land. Soon she would be reunited with the Cullens, ready to take her place in the family. Excitement was an understatement. She could not wait. She began to drum her fingers on the arm rest as the aeroplane finally began to descend. As the minutes passed and the cabin lights switched off for the landing, she stared out the window and watched the ground creep closer and closer towards them.

With a jolt, the jet hit the tarmac and the deafening sound of rubber being dragged along asphalt assaulted her ears as the braking system fought to slow down the massive aircraft. The arrival gate crept closer to her and she fumbled with her seatbelt and undid it as the aeroplane came to a standstill and powered off. She was the first off the plane, glancing up at the observation deck where Renesmee and Bella stood, waving at her. She waved back and walked into the building to get through customs and grab her baggage.

* * *

"The Canada flight just landed. Is that the one that your colleague is on?" yawned Amelia, pausing her walking and squinting up at the arrivals board. They had just entered the terminal, and Amelia was walking between her parents, holding tightly onto their hands in case she fell. She had had a quick nap in the car before her parents woke her up.

"Yes it is," commented Carlisle. Emmett and Rosalie were walking on either side of Carlisle and Esme, glaring at anyone who stared at or made an unkind comment about Amelia. Amelia herself was either cheerfully oblivious, was doing an excellent job of hiding her distress or had simply resigned herself to the fact that she was going to attract unwanted attention wherever she ventured. They took a slow walk to the arrivals section and Amelia found herself a bench to sit on in the meantime. Renesmee eagerly bounded up to Esme to tell her about the aeroplane that she had seen land, and that she had waved at the person who was coming to stay. Alice was beside herself with excitement and Jasper eventually came to sit with Amelia to take a break from the enthusiastic pixie.

"Lots of excitement in this section of the airport I take it?" she grinned at the former military major.

"That is one way of putting it. It is however the preferable environment compared to the departures sections. Those are just depressing," mused Jasper.

"2 more minutes!" exclaimed Alice. Jasper helped Amelia up and they went to stand with the rest of the family. Carlisle snaked an arm around Amelia's shoulders and pulled her towards him, placing a kiss on her forehead. She leaned her head on his chest as he removed the concentrator strap from her shoulder and eased it up his own, careful not to jostle her. Jasper took a moment to survey his family. Renesmee was cheerfully sitting on top of Edward's shoulders, resting her hands on his head. He had one hand holding her leg to support her, and the other around Bella's shoulders. Emmett and Rosalie were standing next to Alice, hands tightly clasped. Amelia was on one side of Carlisle, Esme on the other. Alice turned and smiled at him, stretching out her hand. He walked towards her and took a deep breath, allowing the feelings of joy and excitement from his family to flood his senses.

He chuckled softly to himself when he picked up on Amelia's mixture of hunger, boredom and minor annoyance. She was tired, she was going to become cranky soon and she was stuck at an airport three hours away from home waiting for some person whom she had never met to grace them with their presence. Edward also chuckled quietly and the pair exchanged a knowing glance.

"Here she comes."

* * *

Blythe felt like screaming when she witnessed passenger after passenger grab their suitcases and leave the carousel. _Any time this century would be good_ , she thought to herself, internally groaning when she began to see the same suitcases coming up again and again. Finally she spied her first suitcase and grabbed it, sticking it onto the trolley. An eternity later, her second suitcase came up and she yanked that one off the trolley too. She began the long walk to her family, but got stuck behind slow-moving human congestion. Resisting the urge to ride them over with her trolley, she inched her trolley forward as they made their way onwards.

 _In a previous life, they must have been tortoises_ , she groaned, _Patience, Blythe, they are elderly after all. Even though you are their senior by about a century, their bodies are physically decades older than yours. Be nice._

She finally spied an opening as the passage widened and she overtook them, speeding up her pace. She forced herself to slow down. Any faster, and she would expose their secret. She took a steadying breath and flinched in irritation as someone ran past her, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Well that was just great. The burn faded quickly and the man in question slowed down as well as he tripped over his own feet. _That's what you get for running when you should not be running_.

She walked past him just as he hoisted himself up and continued walking ahead. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was within reach. She took another breath and nearly cried in delight when the scent of her favourite coven of vampires assaulted her olfactory system. The automatic doors slid open and clear as day, she heard Alice's voice announce, "Here she comes."

* * *

Amelia glanced up at Alice's voice in confusion, then spied a familiar face in the sea of travellers. She blinked. Blythe was still there.

"Blythe?" she whispered, scarcely able to believe her eyes.

"Hello Mia," she called. Carlisle let go of Amelia and she bolted. If she could have sprinted, she would have. Blythe chuckled and let go of her trolley as her best friend came barrelling towards her, Carlisle in her wake so that Amelia did not accidentally yank her oxygen line out of the concentrator. She opened up her arms and laughed as Amelia crashed into her, engulfing her in the biggest hug she was capable of.

"It is you. It really is you," she repeated over and over.

"Yes, Mia. It _is_ me," Blythe confirmed, before letting go of her friend to greet the others. Blythe found herself being hugged again and again. It was however Carlisle's conviction that made her unbeating heart skip a beat.

"Welcome home, Blythe."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hi all. I was browsing through the story earlier and I realised that Chapters 18 & 19 were identical. I do apologise for this! Chapter 18 has been re-uploaded and should now be the correct chapter. I am so sorry for not realising this sooner. **


	72. Chapter 72

_"_ _Maman, Papa_ , I am sorry that I have not been to visit you for quite some time," began Amelia, trailing her fingers down the headstones of her parents' graves. It was Saturday, and it had dawned clear and bright. The Cullens had been unable to accompany Amelia to the graveyard that day as a result, something which according to Alice, was more than alright with her. Peter had volunteered to take his god-daughter to visit her parents' graves. Not wanting to intrude, Simon, Ariané and the others had gone earlier to pay their respects. It was a tradition that they had kept up for the past thirteen years.

"I cannot believe that it has been thirteen years since you-" Amelia struggled to get the right words, tearing up as she did so,"- left. I miss you both so much."

Peter held her close to him as she mourned her biological parents, grieved their loss which felt just as acute as that fateful day thirteen years ago.

"Both of them would be so proud of you, Sixty Five," he commented, awkwardly patting her back.

"You think so?" Amelia queried softly.

"I know so," he promised. They did not linger for too long, as it was cold outside and no one wanted Amelia to catch a cold. The plots that held Amelia's parents' coffins were left with fresh roses and flowers adorning them, a symbol that someone who loved them deeply still cared enough to visit. Peter often came to visit them. Abigail had been his best friend, and he got on very well with Christopher. As a younger man, he often third-wheeled with them, and later on, loved to accompany his young goddaughter on her adventures. He had been heartbroken when the system ruled against him and he was unable to look after Amelia.

"Uncle Pete?" Amelia's voice was shaky as the pair slowly made their way back to Amelia's childhood home.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"What really happened that night?"

Peter took a deep breath and led Amelia over to a bench. The pair sat down. This was a moment that he had hoped to avoid, but she deserved to know the truth.

"How much do you know about that night?" he queried, almost certain that Amelia had done some research of her own. It had made the newspapers at the time, and the Benaroya Trust did a fair amount of advertising for the benefit concert each year, which always included a few lines about how the scholarship came about. Surely she knew what had happened? His thoughts were confirmed a few moments later.

"Just that they were killed by a drunk driver. Mom died on impact, Dad died two days later."

"The drunk driver's blood alcohol was triple the legal limit. How he even managed to get into his car..." he trailed off, recalling the night that he received the phone call that had changed his god-daughter's life.

"Did you sign off the forms that withdrew all extreme life-saving measures? A Do Not Resuscitate form of sorts?" Amelia's voice broke through his quiet contemplation. At Peter's stunned glance, she elaborated, "I recall a lot about that night. I remember going to see _Maman_ , she was so cold. _Papa_ was very ill. I remember being chased out of the room when the machines started making noises, which I realise now is a flat-line."

"Yes, I did," he confirmed, and turned his head away, unable to look at the pained expression that he was almost sure would cross Amelia's face. Her next words sent him reeling in shock.

"Thank you." It was a little louder than a whisper, but spoken with clarity and a hint of gratitude.

"You're thanking me for essentially killing your father?!" he exclaimed. For years, his decision had haunted him.

"You did not kill-"

"My signature took away your only surviving parent, it orphaned you. In the space of two days, you lost both of your parents," he cut her off.

"I do not need a medical degree to tell me that _Papa's_ injuries were life-threatening, that if he had survived at all, he would never have recovered fully. The father I knew for three years would not have liked that. With the traumatic brain injuries that he sustained, you spared him a lifetime of suffering, however long or short that lifetime would have been. Thank you for that."

"Amelia, you suffered because of me," Peter's voice sounded so broken.

"Peter, this is not your fault. The courts would not allow me to live with you for reasons I will never fully understand."

"I should have tried harder."

"Knowing you, you tried your darn best to convince them otherwise. There was nothing you could have done to help me."

"But you got hurt."

"So? That is in the past. I have a family now, and fate had brought us together again. Uncle Peter, I do not have much time left and I do not want to spend that time fighting you on this point. If you are asking for my forgiveness, there is nothing to forgive. You did what was right for _Papa_."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I would want someone to do that for me; because if I were going to live out the rest of my life suffering the way _Papa_ would have, I would want someone to sign those forms for me."

"You're suffering now, Amelia."

There was silence as Amelia's face fell. Peter knew that he had touched a raw nerve, but he was also determined to make the teenager understand why he felt so guilty. Amelia on the other hand knew that Alice would see this, and would relay the information to her family.

"After seven years' worth of foster homes and five of a group home, I think I earned the right to enjoy being a much-loved member of a family. I have not even been in Forks for two months, for crying out loud. Besides," she paused and cringed internally, "I can't do that to my family. I cannot leave them just yet."

"Applying the same logic you used earlier, you are going to make them watch you suffer."

"Fair enough. But I cannot bear to hurt my family by making an early exit. My mom would be heart broken. There is only so much that I can do the speed up the dying process, short of doing something dramatic like taking my own life."

"How much are you hurting them by making them watch you suffer?" came the cryptic response.

"When the end arrives, it will be quick and Dad will make sure that it is painless."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I can't, but I can hope. I'm removing my feeding tube soon, slowly start withdrawing the meds. All it will take is an infection or another bleed and I'm toast."

"I'll give a speech at your funeral," he promised.

"Oh please, none of that," she rolled her eyes and poked him in the ribs.

"Do you now understand how I feel?"

"Carrying all that guilt around is pointless, Peter Whyte. Please forgive yourself."

"I'll try, Titch."

"I'm hungry."

"And I love you too."

* * *

"One last time, please. I want to iron out that introduction," stated Simon. Amelia lifted her violin and began to play the first few notes to the violin concerto, leading the orchestra into it with her usual graceful manner of playing. The double bass and cellos softly joined in, then the rest of the strings section until a handful of woodwinds broke through, before the entire orchestra finally joined in with gusto.

They were rehearsing in the actual hall this time, not the backstage rehearsal room. It was their final dress rehearsal before the evening's events, and already some guests were starting to arrive. Simon had wanted to familiarise the three prize winners with the stage set up. The silver medal saxophonist and the bronze medal trombonist were seated in their respective sections, as thrilled as Amelia was to be afforded the opportunity to play with the philharmonic orchestra.

"Lovely," he declared some nine minutes later when the piece drew to its sudden end. Amelia's favourite part was when she and Benjamin shared a brief duet just after the three minute mark, violin and bassoon playing in harmony and stealing the listener's attention while the rest of the orchestra almost seemed to fade into the background.

"Ok guys. Take a break and get dressed. Remember, there will be-"

"A lot of publicity tonight," chorused the orchestra. Simon rolled his eyes.

"Exactly, so no horsing around. That means no random piggy back rides. Yes Peter, Valerie, I am looking at you. No using your bows as weapons either or hiding anyone's reeds. Remember, as far as anyone knows, we are a nice, normal orchestra who behaves."

"Face it Simon, we are all nuts," called Cassandra.

"Cass, please stay away from the piano tonight. I don't even want to know what you have up your sleeve, but no running around the stage wearing the piano cover like you did last week."

"Oh come on Simon, lighten up. Besides, Valerie dared me to do it."

"Next time, pick the cover from one of the upright pianos from the rehearsal rooms, not the cover of the grand piano," Simon threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Don't forget your bowtie, Simon!" called Valerie, an impish smile crossing her features. Simon made a rude gesture with his hands. Valerie blew him a kiss before their conductor stomped off to change.

"Seriously though, please can we try to act like mature adults tonight?" spoke Peter, "we all know how much this concert means to him."

* * *

"You are going to look stunning in that dress, Mia. Do you need some help with your makeup?" asked Valerie as the pair left the stage to go and change into their concert dresses.

"Alice said that she will put a little bit on for me."

"Good. You'll be in a lot of photos tonight."

"We totally need to take a photo together."

"Definitely," agreed Valerie, setting down her dress in the rest room and digging through her bag for some makeup. She glanced up when she saw Alice and Esme enter the room as well, "hey guys."

"Hello Valerie," chorused Esme and Alice, smiling at the cellist who had befriended Amelia. At Amelia's request, they had not put too much makeup on, just enough to hide the dark circles under her eyes and a touch of lip gloss. Esme helped ease Amelia into her dress while Alice zipped up Valerie's midnight blue dress. A tattoo of an owl outlined in black ink on Valerie's shoulder peeked out over the top of her dress. Alice then did Amelia's hair quickly, sliding in a few clips to hold the stray bits of hair in place.

"Smile!" called Esme, holding up her camera. The duo eagerly grinned back before exiting the change room to greet the rest of Amelia's family. Everyone looked very smart in their dresses and suits, and Renesmee looked particularly adorable. To Amelia's glee, Jemima had been brought along for the trip and was currently sitting in Emmett's arms, glowering at Alice, who had wrestled her into what Amelia could best describe as some sort of canine dress. To say the Scottie was unimpressed was an understatement. A dog at the concert hall, whatever next?


	73. Chapter 73

Amelia peeked out of the wings on the stage. She easily located her family, sitting up in one of the boxes so that they could have a direct view of her. Everyone was dressed up in formal attire. Amelia stifled a giggle at the sight of Emmett, her burly, big teddy bear of a brother dressed up in a suit. He looked hideously uncomfortable, and both he and Jemima were alternating between glaring at Alice and huffing in indignation. Rosalie smacked him on the head, obviously he was moaning a little too much for her liking. She looked stunning in a red, floor length dress that brought out her pale skin magnificently. Jasper seemed to be at ease, and waved at her when he caught sight of her. Alice was bossing Bella around, who did not appear to be listening to her.

Amelia waved back at her brother, and smiled softly as a calm and serene feeling washed over her. Carlisle and Esme, who had been deep in conversation with Blythe, turned and waved at her as well. Their faces bore expressions of pure pride. Renesmee was sitting on Edward's lap and it was clear that he was showing her the dynamics of the concert hall, pointing things out and answering each and every question that his daughter asked of him. Amelia smiled tenderly at the sight. As much as Edward could be annoying, she had come to realise that he cared deeply for his family, and more often than not, disliked the lack of privacy that his gift gave him.

"Is that your whole family?" queried Valerie, coming to stand next to her.

"Yeah. My brother, his wife and their niece came along this time," she spoke, referring to Edward, Bella and Renesmee, and the current cover story pertaining to the three of them.

"I think I missed them at the mall."

"They went book shopping, lucky things," she said fondly, recalling the shopping trip.

"Your dad has excellent taste in dresses," Valerie commented. Amelia giggled and glanced up at her family. Esme and Carlisle were laughing, and Emmett and Jasper were mercilessly teasing him, "anyway, we had better head back. Simon will have a coronary otherwise."

They went to stand with the rest of the orchestra just as Simon started his usual pre-performance pep talk. He pulled Amelia aside just before the others got ready to go onto the stage.

"You alright, Titch?" he queried, his dark eyes imploring her to tell the truth.

"I'm fine, Uncle Si. Just hoping it goes alright tonight. I'd hate to mess up at a concert held in memory of my own mother," she chuckled.

"You'll do just fine," he reassured, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and giving his special little girl a hug, "I still can't believe how big you are. In my mind's eye, you're still that cute little thing who insisted on giving us a performance of _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_."

Amelia grinned. "Yeah, that was a long time ago, I'm afraid."

"They grow so fast," commented Simon, lost in a memory. He shook his head and led Amelia to the stage door where the others were lined up, waiting to lead on to the stage. An elderly gentlemen, who served on the board of the Benaroya Trust and helped fund the orchestra and the scholarship programme, went up to start off the concert.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the twelfth annual Abigail Theodore Benefit Concert. On this day thirteen years ago, the Seattle Philharmonic lost one of its best violinists in a horrific accident that also claimed the life of her husband, and orphaned their young daughter. Each year, we honour Mrs Theodore's memory by holding a concert in her name, the proceeds of which go to the Abigail Theodore Memorial Scholarship. Our top three competitors from the Washington Scholars' Competition held last week Tuesday will be performing with the Seattle Philharmonic tonight, and the top achiever will perform after the interval. Without further ado, please welcome the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra to the stage."

The audience burst into applause as the orchestra filed onto the stage, first the percussion and woodwind sections, followed by brass. The strings section filed onto the stage last, aside from Cassandra, who was the lead violinist and concert mistress. As always, the oboist played an 'A' note and the orchestra tuned quickly, before standing up and waiting for Cassandra to come on stage. Simon followed suit, bowing before turning to face his orchestra. He smiled at them, before opening up his sheet music and glancing at the brass and percussion sections. They nodded – they were ready. At Simon's command, the percussion section launched Copland's _Fanfare for the Common Man_. The brass joined them a bar later. The solemn and hauntingly beautiful music echoed through the hall.

Emmett took a moment to observe his little sister, sitting patiently in Violin I, immersing herself in the American composer's music. He hoped that tonight would go smoothly, if only for Amelia's sake. Her confidence had taken a nosedive after she had fainted at the competition the previous week and she had been anxious about messing up at the performance. Alice had reassured them shortly before the concert started that everything would run smoothly, but her visions were subjective and anything could change. Jasper on the other hand was trying to calm the family. Their pride in Amelia, their joy at being able to witness her perform with one of the country's top orchestras was subtly overshadowed by an underlying tension, and a fear that something might happen to their precious human. She was so important and special to them, but sometimes Jasper wondered if she realised how deep their love for her ran. Reassurances only went so far, but Amelia's deep seated fear that she would be left alone again had flared up again today since her visit to the graveyard, and her chat with Peter. It had been necessary for both of their sakes, but both had been left to grapple with their losses, as raw and fresh as the day it happened.

Their shared pain was palpable, but Amelia deserved the right to mourn her losses as well, and he decided to leave it be. Monday would probably be harder for Amelia, as she had naturally gravitated more towards her father than she did to her mother as a young child, and for two days, she had clung to the hope that her dad would not leave her, and would pull through. He had not, and the three year old had lost everything in that moment, and had embarked on her hellish journey to become a beloved member of the Cullen family.

A round of applause interrupted his thoughts, and he automatically clapped with the audience. He felt a sense of wistfulness about Amelia as she straightened, and lifted up her violin to rest it on her shoulder. She was the only left handed strings player, so she had been placed second-to-last from the end of her row, and there was more space around her to avoid hitting elbows with the right-handed violinist seated on her left. The _Sleeping Beauty Suite_ , the one that Amelia had danced to with Simon many moons ago was next up. There was a sense of nostalgia amongst the original members who had played alongside Abigail Theodore as they recalled playing for unhappy Amelia.

"Simon is recalling how he danced with Amelia," muttered Edward, a fond smile breaking out on his face, "so is Amelia. She recalls it with astonishing clarity."

"Some memories just refuse to fade, no matter what," commented Carlisle. _My only hope is that the good ones will stay, and the bad ones will be lost when she changes_ , he added mentally. Edward grimaced as he recalled hearing his family's thoughts on the matter, and the memories that were on Amelia's mind at the time. He had held Renesmee a little closer, ever the more determined that nothing of such a nature would ever happen to his daughter.

The piece ended and the audience applauded, Amelia timing her hacking coughing fit for the applause. She flashed her family a thumbs up so that they would not worry – Carlisle was on the edge of his seat, just waiting for her to need him. Amelia adjusted her nasal cannula. Simon noticed, and waited a few moments until she was ready. She nodded, and they launched into the Dvořāk string serenade. Ariané and Benjamin were stifling their laughter at something while the strings players performed. Simon conducted effortlessly, as a viola player himself, he appreciated the complexity of the piece. Nothing could ever rival the complexity of Pachelbel's _Canon in D,_ but it came a close second. The cellists had nearly slaughtered him when he had proposed it for the concert, Valerie cheerfully leading the pack.

Johann Sebastian Bach's _Toccata and Fugue_ was played next, the two movements blending easily into one as the players did not pause at the end of the _Toccata_ movement before they started playing the _Fugue_. Carlisle immersed himself in the music, the version he was most familiar with had been adapted for the organ. Listening to a full philharmonic orchestra play one of Bach's most well-known pieces of music was an experience that the musically-inclined members of the family were thoroughly enjoying. Rosalie and Blythe started debating whether J.S. Bach was a better composer than his son, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach. While he was the lesser known of the two, his music did occasionally get played on the local classical music radio station. The pair continued their debate until the end of the piece, and the end of the first half of the programme, Edward occasionally adding his opinion.

* * *

"Amelia, I'd like to introduce you to some of the members of the Benaroya Trust," stated Simon, leading Amelia away from the stage and towards a group of elderly men who broke into smiles when they spied the teenager.

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" exclaimed an enthusiastic patron, delighted to meet Abigail's daughter. He eagerly shook Amelia's hand.

"Likewise," smiled Amelia. They posed for a few photographs before Esme and Carlisle came to rescue the hungry teen.

"We brought you some food," stated Esme, handing Amelia a plate piled high with refreshments. She took it gratefully and nibbled a few things before slowly making her way to her family. She needed to keep as still possible after eating so as to avoid throwing it all up when she coughed. Jasper sent a wave of calm to her as she posed for some photos with her family so that Esme had a few more to add to her ever-expanding collection. Valerie photobombed a few, before the 'original' members came to take a photograph with Amelia. They were painfully aware that they would never again perform with Amelia, so were determined to make it count.

"And it's time for us to get back," Simon broke in smoothly.

"Break a leg," winked Emmett, leading the family away.

"We are so proud of you," said Esme, her golden eyes shining with unshed tears as she beamed with pride. She hugged her daughter tightly before kissing her cheek.

"Go get them, kiddo," encouraged Carlisle, softly kissing his daughter's forehead and hugging her, before leading Esme away. The pair made their way back to the box seats, hand in hand. They barely made it into their seats before the orchestra, minus Cassandra, Amelia and Simon made their way onto the stage and tuned their instruments. In the stage wings, they could hear Amelia and Cassandra following suit, ensuring that their instruments were optimally tuned. Cassandra then walked onto the stage and bowed and took her seat.

The same elderly gentleman from before came up onto the stage again. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. I trust that you enjoyed the first half of the concert. As you know, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra holds a regional competition open to all music scholars in Washington. We go to various schools, and select a few of the best music students to perform in the Washington Scholars' Music Competition. This year's competition was held last week Tuesday, and the top three soloists are afforded the opportunity to perform with the SPO, with the overall winner asked to perform solo with orchestral accompaniment. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the soloist this year is none other than Mrs Theodore's own daughter, Ms Amelia Theodore. Please join me in giving a hand to this distinguished young violinist."

A few moments later, Simon walked onto the stage. The orchestra stood up and he shook hands with Cassandra again, before holding his arm out. Amelia walked onto the stage, holding tightly onto her violin and shook hands with Simon and Cassandra, before bowing slightly. One of the backstage crew members had moved a chair for her so that she could sit down and perform. Violin soloists generally stood up when they played, but Amelia was too weak to stand up. She had been teased mercilessly and later likened to the famous violinist, Itzhak Perlman, who had poliomyelitis as a child and required crutches to move around. He also sat down when he performed, which had made Amelia feel a little better about the whole thing. She had dreamed of one day meeting him.

Amelia took a seat and moved her concentrator behind her chair and adjusted her nasal cannula again. She lifted her violin up and placed it on her shoulder, nodding to Simon. He lifted his baton, and she began to play. Beethoven's _Violin Concerto in D major_ played beautifully from her strings. Valerie and Peter joined her, before the rest of their respective sections joined in. Finally the rest of the orchestra joined in.

Carlisle was transfixed. It was not the first time he had heard the piece being performed, and he had heard many recordings of it. But this was different to all of the other times. This was his own daughter playing the piece, his baby girl commanding the orchestra with her violin. Her purple dress glistened under the spotlights as she gently swayed in time to the music, eyes open but unseeing. She occasionally glanced at Simon, particularly when she paused, and later when she rejoined the others. She set the pace. When she began to play the final notes, Esme slipped her hand in his and squeezed gently, a smile breaking out on her face. Both of them felt as though their hearts would burst with pride.

With a flourish, the piece ended and deafening applause broke out. Amelia got a standing ovation. Emmett and Jasper started to whoop and wolf whistle very loudly, which attracted her attention and she laughed loudly. She bowed to the audience, so did Simon. She waved at her family. Esme was tearful and Carlisle held her close as they waved back to Amelia. One of the backstage crew members moved her chair away and she took her seat back with the orchestra. After everyone had seated again, and Simon gave the signal, Valerie played the opening to the _William Tell Overture_. After that, they played _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_ , and finally Schubert's _Symphony No 3 in D Major_.

Thunderous applause again broke out as the evening concluded and once again, Amelia was called to the front to bow for her performance. This time, she was presented with a bunch of pink and white roses which she accepted with a wide smile. She had done it, and for once, she had survived the evening without being sick.


	74. Chapter 74

If Carlisle could trace back to the last moment that Amelia had really lived, it would be the night of the concert. That moment was forever ingrained in his memory - his youngest daughter, his dark-haired human princess, standing on the stage, bowing to a standing ovation. If his heart had been capable of any sort of movement, it would surely have swelled with pride. That evening had been wonderful, and one that he would treasure for centuries to come. If he shut his eyes, he could recall the sparkling perfection of her purple dress as it glittered under the concert hall spotlights, how she had paraded around the house in it before the concert, stating that she needed to 'wear it in' as though it were a pair of shoes. Blythe and Esme had smiled affectionately at her antics, while Emmett had had to walk outside to hide his laughter. It had earned him a smack on the head from Rosalie.

He stood now, observing the ragged breathing of his daughter. She had fallen ill again, worse than he had ever seen her, her disease taking its final toll on her, Death preparing to claim her as his own. It pained him to witness her suffering, it pained all of them really. There should be a limit as to how much a person should be allowed to suffer, he mused to himself as he kept a vigil by his daughter's bedside. The others were out hunting ahead of today. Alice had come to him with tears in her eyes the day before.

 _"Tomorrow. She will have a good day, but after nightfall..."_ She had trailed off into silence, the pain in her face speaking for itself. Edward's face had been an identical mask of horror, his eyes imploring Carlisle to do what he had to in order to save his little sister. Carlisle had gone straight to Amelia then, finding her sleeping on the couch with Jemima protectively sleeping next to her. Jemima had stirred and looked at him sleepily, then put her head back down and returned to sleep. Amelia had not stirred, not even when he had lifted her hand up and taken her pulse, not that he had needed to do so when he could hear her heart beating with perfect clarity from a mile away. He needed to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin against his, the rush of blood, purely to remind himself that she was still there. She was his daughter, and a world without her was incomprehensible.

Kissing her forehead, he had left the house to hunt and make doubly sure that there was not even the slightest hint of thirst that irritated his throat. In spite of having created four other vampires, his concern of not being able to stop himself, of inadvertently draining Amelia lingered. Just like Edward had done with Bella, surgical grade steel syringes currently held his venom, waiting to be used as adjuncts to the main bite. Better safe than sorry. He had his doubts, could he do this to Amelia? Esme notwithstanding, he had not interacted with Edward, Rosalie and Emmett much, if at all, prior to changing them. Even his interaction with Esme a decade prior to her change had been fleeting, albeit memorable. Had he failed in his task in changing them, would he have felt their loss as much as the entire family would if he failed Amelia?

Carlisle glanced out the window as the late spring morning sunshine broke through the clouds. The others would be back soon. He turned his attention back to Amelia. She frowned slightly in her sleep, her breathing catching for a moment. She coughed in her sleep, violent and guttural, but not enough to wake her up. For that he was grateful, it had been weeks since she had enjoyed a peaceful night of rest. Had it really been two months since the concert? Her decline was not unexpected, but the family had hoped for more time.

At the end of April, Amelia had had her feeding tube removed. Both Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe had been hesitant to put Amelia under anaesthesia, but the tube would need to come out before her transformation and it needed to be done under general, rather than local, anaesthesia. Of course, Dr Westsmythe was unaware of the real reason why it needed to come out, and had assumed that it was due to the infection that Carlisle had insisted was present. It was only after the tube had been removed that Richard had realised that Carlisle was indeed right. The infection could have been treated with antibiotics, but had those failed, it could very well have killed her. There was a chance that the surgery itself could have killed her as well, but Alice had assured him that it would not.

Amelia's days had turned into a mix of sleeping, coughing and occasionally interacting with her family. She had isolated herself from her human friends. She wanted to spare them from witnessing her suffering. She had bid them farewell when they had come to visit her after her surgery. Daniella, Narcisse and Amy had cried when they hugged their friend for the last time. Steven had remained stoic and unmoving, but his face had held a pained expression as he exited the room.

Amelia's face held a haunted look. She knew what was coming, but each day she remained human was another day she could give the proverbial middle finger to Cystic Fibrosis, it was another day that she survived. She could never beat the disease, it was too powerful and her many years of medical neglect had cost her dearly, coming back to haunt her. It made Carlisle mad to witness the repercussions that Amelia faced – someone should have been responsible for his daughter's health care needs when she was younger. He had recalled every last scrap of information that made up his daughter's bulky Social Services file. The only family who had taken proper care of her was the only one she ever spoke of with fondness – the couple who lived on a farm and had been killed in an accident not unlike Amelia's own parents. He had also found out that they were in the process of filling out the paperwork to adopt her – but their lives had been cut short, and along with that, Amelia's dream of a family that time around.

"Is she awake yet?" Esme's soft voice cut into the silence. Carlisle glanced up at his wife, and shook his head. Esme padded into the room and perched on the edge of Amelia's bed, hesitant to awaken her daughter. The others were in the forest, making their way to the house. They had gone hunting as well. All hands would be needed on deck to assist with Amelia's change. The young girl in question frowned again, her heart rate increasing as she gradually woke up from her last sleep as a human. Her eyes snapped open and she glanced about, alert and ready. Jemima huffed sleepily and executed some interesting yoga moves before ambling out of the open door and making her way downstairs.

"Morning sweetheart," greeted Carlisle, smiling tenderly at his daughter. Amelia returned the greeting, hugging both of her parents. Esme bundled Amelia into the shower and got her into fresh pyjamas. Clothes had become too much of a hassle. As Amelia's weight plummeted and her muscles wasted, she found it too much of an effort to bother with complicated things like jeans and shoes. The fabrics were painful against her sensitised skin, and moving around was tiring and painful enough as it was without having to endure the fabric chafing. Alice and Bella had gotten Amelia several pairs of soft pyjamas. Amelia was constantly cold and baggy hooded sweatshirts had become the norm. An assortment of blankets and pillows were scattered about the house for Amelia's comfort. It pained her family to witness her decline. Esme took it the hardest, and many a day could be seen lying alongside Amelia while she slept. Amelia was sensitive to her mother's emotions, and tried to reassure her as much as she could.

"How are you feeling today?" queried Esme as she passed Amelia her slippers. Amelia sat on her bed while she eased her feet into them.

"Surprisingly alright," came the soft response. Already she had a hint of colour in her usually pale cheeks.

"Do you feel up to attempting the stairs today?" asked Carlisle. Amelia frowned as she pondered her answer and shook her head, holding out her arms so that Carlisle may pick her up and carry her downstairs. Her inability to walk up or down the stairs was, in Amelia's opinion, admitting defeat, and she had resisted doing so for as long as possible. It wasn't until Emmett found her clinging to the banister between the middle and top floors that even she had to admit that it was time to quit arguing the topic and accept help.

A mixture of "Good morning", "Squirt!" and "Hey Mia" greeted Amelia as she found herself on the ground level of the house. She greeted all of her siblings as she set out Jemima's breakfast for her. As per usual, Jemima sauntered off with the cocktail sausages in her mouth and ate them on Esme's priceless Persian rug. No amount of scolding, bribery or anything else otherwise had changed Jemima's habit. The terrier simply looked up at the person addressing her, snorted at them and continued eating.

"So what would you like to get up to today, squirt?" boomed Emmett eagerly. Amelia frowned at him, glanced out of the window and put down her tea cup, crossing her arms and staring at her family, one eyebrow perfectly raised. Alice realised that Amelia needed an answer as to what was happening. No one had told her that today would be her final day as a human.

"I had a vision yesterday," she began.

"Does it have something to do with the reason everyone's eyes indicate that they hunted while I was asleep?" she queried softly, "you were only planning on going over the weekend."

"Yes it does, Mia."

"Another surge?" she guessed, putting two and two together.

"Correct."

"So today is the day I start to become a vampire?"

"I will have to bite you tonight, yes," Carlisle joined in.

"I see," Amelia whispered, staring out the window, "can I go and visit Bree? I still have not gone."

"Alice?"

"The sun is going to shine and it will be good for Mia to get out for a while. No one will see us. Carlisle, you'll have to call in and tell the hospital that you are not coming in," stated Alice, refocussing on her surroundings.

"It's settled then," stated Esme, placing a bowl of cereal in front of Amelia and narrowing her eyes when the teenager stared at it glumly. Sighing softly, said teenager picked up a spoon and started on it.

* * *

"So this is where it happened?" Amelia's voice was sombre.

"Yes," whispered Esme, leading Amelia over to the exact spot where Bree had died. Flowers bloomed in the area. Daisies – Bree's favourite. A small smile tugged at Amelia's lips as she observed them. With effort, Amelia sat down on the ground and stretched out on the grass, her fingertips grazing one of the daisies. She shut her eyes as the sun came out from behind a cloud and illuminated her face. The warmth was nice. It was a feeling she was not likely to experience again, vampires did not feel the heat, nor did they feel the cold. After a few minutes, she started to doze off and a pair of cold arms eased her off the ground, holding her close to them as they ran at a breakneck speed back to the house.

"Thanks Dad," she said, opening her eyes as the cold arms set her on the bed in Carlisle's office.

"Last ever physio," quipped Carlisle, tapping his daughter on her nose.

"Yay!" she cheered, "I will not miss it."

"I imagine so," he agreed, only too aware of the pain her physiotherapy was causing her. As she deteriorated, so it became more painful. Many a time, he just wanted to drug her into oblivion while he did her physiotherapy, but his stubborn and headstrong daughter refused.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a relaxed fashion. They laughed a lot, made memories and documented the last moments of Amelia's human life. As the sun started to set, Esme ushered Amelia into the bathtub, grateful that it would be the last time that she would ever have to see her daughter as thin and gaunt as she was. The transformation would heal her failing body. Esme had been horrified to see how thin Bella had been before her change, but Amelia made Bella look as healthy as a horse.

The subtle change to Amelia's scent made Esme flare her nostrils and increase her hair-washing efforts. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, and she glanced up in time to catch a resigned look cross Carlisle's features. He smelt it too, and was waiting for them to finish. The scent grew stronger. Amelia's blood had too much carbon dioxide in it, and it was making her drowsier than normal. She had chronic respiratory failure, that was common knowledge, but her body had adapted to its generally increased levels of carbon dioxide. This was different. This was body finally saying 'enough'. Carlisle looked up as Esme herded a sleepy Amelia into her bedroom.

"It's time," he stated. Amelia nodded and smiled over his shoulder. Carlisle glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see one of the others, but saw no one. He looked at her in confusion.

" _Maman, Papa_ and Bree are here," smiled Amelia. It was not the first time Carlisle had heard of patients seeing deceased loved ones on their death bed. Once he had a patient dying of cancer who kept seeing her dead baby in the days before her death. He had been a stillborn and she had never had the chance to hold him. She had never actually seen him, but somehow she knew it was him, and repeated over and over how he needed her. Carlisle liked to think that mother and child were together once more.

"Tell them I say hi," he smiled, carrying her to his office. Blythe was already in the room, and she arranged the many pillows around Amelia's body so as to shelter her from the hardness of the bed. They would remove the pillows later.

"They say thank you," she yawned. Blythe frowned and spoke softly to Carlisle as they outlined their plan for Amelia. The others came in to say their goodbyes. Amelia was barely conscious, fighting and losing her battle against the siren-like blackness that was creeping into her vision as her body started to shut down for the last time. Edward herded the others out of the room. Just Blythe, Esme and Carlisle remained. Esme gave her daughter one final kiss and whispered how much she loved her, before holding her hand tightly and sitting down, determined to be there for as long as possible, as Amelia finally slipped into a coma.

Blythe injected the morphine straight into Amelia's port. When the sickly sweet scent of opioids began to mask the scent of excessive carbon dioxide, she picked up a scalpel and made a neat incision around it. Carlisle injected the first syringe of venom into the port, before Blythe finished exposing the components and removed it entirely. A second syringe of venom was injected into Amelia's subclavian vein. As the stuttering of Amelia's heart began, and her usual coughing broke the methodical silence, Carlisle placed a kiss on Amelia's forehead. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, saying a quick prayer. Then he bit down over Amelia's carotid artery, forcing more venom into Amelia's bloodstream.

She continued to cough, each one as violent as the one before as the venom started to react with her failing body. Blythe grew concerned, and she and Carlisle moved Amelia to rest on her side as she choked on her own phlegm. She was changing, but the venom would need time to heal her lungs. It would be a long three days. Swapping the nasal cannula for an oxygen mask, Carlisle settled down to wait. Blythe gave both of the Cullen parents a hug, before leaving them to sit with Amelia. Five minutes down, 71 hours and 55 minutes to go.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And that is the end of the first book! The first chapter of book two, A New Cullen Life, is up. Hope to see you there! A great big thanks to everyone who has read it, commented on it and generally provided feedback, I do appreciate each and every bit of criticism :)**


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